Slight Problem
by Nightangel1282
Summary: A witch and her friend from our world use a technique to travel astrally to the Yu Yu Hakusho world... but something goes seriously wrong! Better Summary inside! Now Rated M! Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

**This story takes place when a young witch and her friend from our world decide to see if they can use a mental technique called astral projection to travel to anime worlds. Of course, being huge fans of the anime Yu Yu Hakusho, that is their first stop... but little do they know that something is going to go SERIOUSLY wrong...**

**I'm pretty sure that everyone knows already, that I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Just my own two characters, Natalie and Lisa.**

"Natalie, are you sure this is going to work? I mean, I would love to believe it as much as the next person, but the thought that anime realms really exist sounds a little farfetched, even to me..." Lisa looked at their darkened surroundings a little nervously. She had never used this technique before... in fact, had never taken part in ANY of her friends witchcraft related activities before. But this experience had been far too interesting and tempting to pass up.

She was a tall girl, almost six feet tall, and had sandy blonde hair that barely went past her shoulders. She had clear blue eyes, and although she weighed in at over 160 lbs, the weight was evenly distributed throughout her body. She wasn't fat, by any stretch of the imagination. The only qualm she had about her figure was that her big bones took away from the lean figure she had always wanted.

Her friend sighed, looking up from the mixture she was putting together for her friend. It was something filled with herbs and roots and a little water and oils to induce an altered state of consciousness. Lisa had no idea what was in it, but it didn't smell unpleasant, at least. It was only going to be for her, and not for Natalie herself, who said she didn't need it. Having astral projected many times before, she was able to employ the technique without having to resort to salves.

"For the last time, YES!! It will work... or at least it should. Stop being so nervous, already!! Trust me on this, nothing can happen to you when you astral project. I've done it hundreds of times before. We'll just drop in on the Yu Yu Hakusho realm, take a peek, and come back to our physical bodies. There's nothing to it. We can't be hurt, and we can't be detected... well, maybe by Kuwabara, but he's not likely to freak out over it. He'll just think we're ghosts. So long as we don't hang around him too much, we'll be fine. We cannot interact with the people in that world." She held up the wooden bowl with the now completed concoction inside it. "Now get over here and let me put this on you."

Trying to get over her nervousness, Lisa came forward and layed down on the queen sized matress that was laying on the floor of the room. She let her friend daub the strange mixture on her temples, the sides of her throat, the inside of her wrists and ankles, in the middle of her forehead, and then on her tongue. She tried not to make a face at the taste of the mixture, and made a mental note to not swallow it if she could help it. Then, following her friends instructions as she lay down on her back beside her, Lisa closed her eyes and cleared her mind of all thoughts, trying to relax.

A few moments passed, and then she felt her head start to swim, and she felt the almost alarming sensation that she was falling. She steeled herself against the sensation, having been prewarned about the strange things she would feel with this technique, and then, before she really knew what was happening, found herself floating in the top corner of the room, looking down at the two bodies of herself and Natalie.

She almost panicked at first, until the etherial form of her friend came into her line of sight. "Relax, Lisa. This is all perfectly normal. Just keep calm and trust me, okay? Your astral body will follow your mental commands. Just remember that you're in complete control."

She took in a deep mental breath and nodded. "Okay." She set herself down on the floor. She couldn't feel it beneath her feet, of course, but it did make her feel a little better... more secure and safe. "So... now what?"

Natalie took a hold of her hand and grinned at her friend. "Just what I said before... clear your mind of all thoughts and trust me. I'm gonna take us between dimensions to the doorway that leads to the Yu Yu Hakusho Universe!"

She nodded a little increduously, and before she could say a single word, her friend shot off, at completely inhuman speeds, taking Lisa along for the ride. The girl let out a small yelp as they shot out of the roof of the house and up into the sky. Their surroundings blurred and meshed, until there was no way to tell where they were. Lisa swallowed back her nervousness and allowed her friend to drag her along, trying to keep her doubts and worries out of her mind. Then she saw a bright light straight ahead and shut her astral eyes tightly as she and Natalie entered it.

When she opened her eyes once more, they were in a sea of white, broken only by countless doors, of every imaginable shape, size, design and form as far as the eye could see. Lisa turned around and was a little boggled at the expanse of doors. Some almost seemed to be flimsy, non corporeal, blinking in and out of existence, others were brick and looked far too heavy for either of the girls to open on their own. There were normal wooden ones as well, some with strange emblems or designs etched upon them. Others resembled swirling vortexes and she made a mental note to not get too close to these for fear of being sucked in. Natalie was still holding onto her hand and was now leading her through the maze of doors.

"This is... this is... Where ARE we??? I've never seen so many... um... doors before... at least... I think they're all doors..."

Natalie nodded. "They're doorways that lead to other dimensions, Lisa. It's a manifestation created by my own subconscious mind to allow me to differentiate one dimensional realm from the next. I should be able to tell which door leads to the Yu Yu Hakusho realm with no problem. Since that was my immediate intent, we should be close to it..." Then she stopped, a smile on her face. "Ah!! This has to be it!!"

Lisa looked at the door her friend indicated and couldn't help it as she started to laugh. "Yup!! That's gotta be it!!" The door was average sized and looked like it was made out of some dark wood... but burned into it was the unmistakable image of Koenma in his infant form, complete with a pacifier. She couldn't think of a more appropriate image to tell them it was the dimensional door they were looking for.

Natalie reached forward with a grin and turned the golden doorknob. "Well, let's go then! Let's see with the Rekai Tentai are up to in this day and age!!" She flung the door open, grabbed her friend by the hand, and flew the both of them into the misty reaches beyond.

Lisa saw a bright flash of light, and then she and her friend were floating in the sky, high above a large city. The two of them descended at a fast pace, guided by Natalie.

"Wow!! We're really there!! Way cool!! But how do we...?"

Her question died in her throat an instant later when she felt a very strange sensation... almost as if an elastic connecting her with something suddenly went taut. Right on the heels of this, she felt a sudden and hard pull, as if whatever was on the other end of that elastic was charging right toward her. She cried out in shock and confusion as the ground rushed up to meet her and her friend. Natalie seemed to be in the same state of confusion as she let out a cry of alarm herself. The two girls landed face first down on the ground in an alleyway. The initial impact was absolutely painless, no doubt due to the blessing of being without a physical body, but then the girls saw a bright flash of blue light and suddenly felt as if their ribcages had seperated and they both cried out in pain. Then everything went black.

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Natalie and Lisa both woke up moments later in the alleyway, both leaning against a brick wall. They looked around themselves a little groggily, wondering what had just happened.

Lisa shifted slightly and felt the rough stone of the bricks digging into her back, and felt a few pebbles on the pavement shift beneath her. She felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Um... I thought... things weren't supposed to be felt... when we were astral..." She looked at her friend, who's face had gone white as she tentatively felt the ground and the wall with her hands. "Natalie? What's going on...?"

"We're... here physically..." she said, her eyes blank in shock. "We... were somehow transported to another dimension..."

Lisa's eyes went enormous in horror. _"WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE'RE HERE PHYSICALLY?! AND TRASPORTED?! HOW THE FUCK IS THAT POSSIBLE?!"_ she screamed.

Natalie quickly clamped a hand over her friends mouth. "Shut UP!!! Do you want someone to OVERHEAR us, you idiot?!" Then she shakily got to her feet and looked around. "I... don't know how we got here physically. I've astral projected hundreds of times before and nothing like this has ever happened to me. Things like this are supposed to be absolutely impossible, so don't ask me how it happened, but it did."

Lisa was on her feet in an instant and shaking her friend. "You got us here, now get us back HOME!!!!"

The shorter girl shook her head, her long dark brown hair falling over her shoulders with the movement. "I don't know if I CAN, Lisa. Like I said, nothing like this has ever happened before. How can I get us back if I don't even know how we got here in the first place?"

The blonde girl looked like she was on the verge of hyperventallating. "What do we do? Oh my God, we can't be stuck here... We just CAN'T!!!"

Natalie took in several deep breaths and tried to think. "Okay... well... the first thing we should do is be absolutely sure that we know where we are." She started for the mouth of the alleyway, her friend right on her heels. When they got there, they saw several signs, all written in Japanese, some with English translations. When they saw a few people who looked just a little younger than they were walking around in school uniforms, that was all the confirmation that they needed.

"We're... in Japan..." Lisa breathed.

Her friend nodded. "Yeah. I think it's safe to say that since the location's right and those uniforms look familiar, that we ARE in the Yu Yu Hakusho universe." Then her eyes widened and she swore. "SHIT!! Lis' I just thought of something and it makes our problem a whole lot worse!!"

She loked at her. "What is it?" she asked, her expression and tone of voice saying she wasn't really sure if she really wanted to know.

Natalie gulped. "Koenma. He always keeps a close watch on Earth, and so chances are, if he doesn't already know we're here, then he'd going to know soon. And that means, he's probably going to be able to detect the power I have in me and send THEM to find out what's going on and who we are!"

Lisa blinked. "Them?" Then she went white. "You mean..."

She nodded. "The Rekai Tentai. Yusuke, Kuwabara, Kurama and Hiei. We know pretty much everything about them, and with Hiei and his jagen eye... if he were to look into one of our minds and find that out for himself..."

Lisa freaked.

"AAAHHHHH!!!! What are we going to do?! He'll KILL us!!! Especially if he finds out that we know about Yukina!!!!"

Natalie nodded. "We have to get moving. That's the only option we have right now. Hopefully... we can evade them long enough for me to figure out how to get us back home."

She gulped. "And if you can't figure out how to get us home again?"

She let out a shaky sigh. "I... don't know. I guess... we'll have to figure that one out when we get there."

The blonde girl sighed along side her friend. "Well... we'll need money."

Natalie nodded. "That at least should be easy enough. Just leave it to me."

Shrugging and looking around herself more than a little apprehensively, Lisa followed her friend. She kept expecting to see one of the four Spirit Detectives at any given moment.

**Okay, there you have chapter one, everyone!! Please, I wanna know what you think!! Please, please PLEASE review!!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Alright, here's chapter two! Please enjoy and tell me what you think!!**

**And I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho... Just Natalie and Lisa.**

Yusuke growled as he entered the toddlers office in Spirit World. Kurama was already there and looked a little irritated himself. Today was SUPPOSED to be their day off. But Botan had informed them that that day off had been canceled by Koenma due to some unforseen emergency.

Kuwabara walked at his side, his own face set in a scowl. He had been visiting with Yukina when the Reaper had informed him that they had to see Koenma for an assignment, and he wasn't too impressed with the toddler himself. But he was a little more amicable about the whole situation than Yusuke himself was.

But hard on their heels was the angriest of them all... Hiei. His red eyes glinted murderously, and told them all the Koenma had better have one DAMNED good explanation for calling them in on their day off.

"Yo, Pacifier Breath!!" Yusuke growled when he entered the room. Koenma looked understandably nervous when they came in. "I'm supposed to be on a date with Keiko right now, so you had better have one fucking good explanation for calling us in like this!!"

Hiei was fingering the hilt of his sword, his own expression promising death to the son of King Enma. "I was under the impression that a day off meant no work on that particular day, Koenma... so if this is not a matter of great importance, then I can promise you, you will regret it!"

Kurama held up his hands in a gesture of peace, before his companions could speak any further. "Let's have patience. I'm not any happier than you are about being called in, but we must assume that it IS an emergency. Koenma wouldn't call us in if it was anything but, correct?" he asked, looking at the infant.

Koenma looked greatly relieved at having the kitsune there. Kurama always had been more reasonable than the other three.

"That's correct. I had little choice but to call the three of you in here. It's not as if I dig through files to find something for you to do. This is a very sudden and unexpected situation and I need the four of you to get to the bottom of it as quickly as possible."

Yusuke scowled slightly and Hiei took his hand off the hilt of his sword. "Then tell us what it is, toddler! And this had better be good! Keiko was ready to have a fit when Botan came to pick me up!"

He nodded. "Very well, Yusuke. It's quite an interesting and strange scenario and I'm not sure how it happened but..." He looked a little embarrassed. "It's concerning two girls that appeared seemingly out of nowhere. And one of them has a great deal of spirit energy within her."

The four of them immediately perked up in interest. "Really?" Kurama asked. "Who are these girls? Where are they now?"

Koenma shook his head. "I have no idea who they are. I've looked through all my records and there is no indication of them having existed before. It's as if they just came from out of nowhere. There's no record of them at all. They just... appeared."

Kuwabara's brows furrowed. "Demons?"

Koenma shook his head. "Definitely not. They are both definitely human. But I have no idea where they came from or how they got here. That's what I need you four to find out. As well, of course, if they are a threat, particularily that one girl."

Kurama nodded. "So our mission is to apprehend these girls, then?"

He nodded in return. "Yes. And bring them to me."

Hiei snorted. "What do these girls look like? And where are they?"

"They appeared on the North Side of Tokyo... the Nerima District. Thankfully, there was a bird flying by the mouth of the alley and we managed to get a brief image of the girls relayed telepathically." On a television screen behind the infant, an image suddenly appeared. It showed a tall girl with sandy blonde hair dressed in baggy pants and a sweatshirt, shaking a shorter, dark haired girl by the shoulders. The dark haired girl broke away from the contact and they seemed to argue for a few seconds, but then the image faded away. None of what they had said came through. It was simply an image. Be backtracked the tape and paused it. They got a better look at the short girl.

She stood only about an inch or two taller than Hiei and had dark brown hair that went to about half down her back. She wore all black... black jeans, black sleeveless shirt, black boots that came up just past her ankles, and a black jean jacket with the arms torn off, open in the front. She had a full figure... wide hips and breasts that were a little larger than average... features that somehow seemed to fit her smaller stature.

Kuwabara blinked, looking at them. "Which one has the power? The tall blonde girl?"

Koenma shook his head. "No. It's the smaller of the two." He looked at the four of them. "Now listen. Like I said, I want you to apprehend these girls. Do NOT hurt them unless it's absolutely necessary. I need to find out how they got here so we can prevent an incident like it from occurring again. Once you have them, contact Botan and bring them here."

The four of them nodded as one.

"Botan is outside the door and will teleport you to the alley where they appeared. They showed up about two hours ago. You should be able to find them quickly enough.

The four of them turned as one and headed out the door to meet up with Botan.

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Lisa sighed in relief as she and Natalie left the bistro. Natalie had somehow managed to get 5000 yen off of a businessman who had been passing by, using some magickal technique to hypnotize him or something to that effect. Natalie told her there was more to it than that, but that was a basic explanation.

So, the first thing they had done was get something to eat. They had each gotten a single sandwich and were now down to 4000 yen... confirming that things really were more expensive in Japan than in America or Canada. Natalie had gotten a headache from her little mind trick and was currently rubbing her temples a little irritably.

"Okay... so now what do we do?" Lisa asked, noticing that the streets seemed to be emptying. She could only guess, but she figured it was around supper time.

Natalie sighed, leaning against a wall. "I dunno... Find a place to stay? We don't have the kinda cash needed to get a hotel room, so I think we'll have to find a nice abandoned building somewhere if that's what the plan is going to be."

Lisa made a face at the thought of it, but she supposed they had little choice in the matter. "Okay, so where do we find this abandoned building? It's not like we know our way around Tokyo or anything..."

She shrugged. "No idea. I guess we'll just have to keep our eyes open and hope for the best. If we can't find an abandoned building, then I guess we'll just have to..." Her eyes suddenly went enormous and she whirled. "SHIT!!!!!!"

Lisa was alert in an instant and looking along with her. "What is it?!"

"I sense four powerful energy signatures coming this way... and I don't hink I have to tell you who I think they belong to!!"

She freaked. "What do we...?!"

Natalie grabbed her friend by the hand. "We'll put some distance between us and them, and then I'll try to suppress my own energy and hope they can't pick up on it! We have to assume that they know what we look like because of Koenma, and so we've got to get outta sight! Come on!!" She raced down the street as quickly as she could go, her friend shakily following.

The shorter girl lead them to a strip mall, and they immediately entered, heading for the backside exit without even batting an eye.

"Do you really think this is going to work? With his jagen eye, Hiei could probably pick up on our location in a second!" Lisa protested, her eyes huge and her face white.

"I have a barrier up around my mind... and you should just try to keep your thoughts away from them unless it's absolutely necessary for as long as you can! Hopefully, that will be enough to keep them at bay for a little bit."

"HOPEFULLY?!" Lisa moaned, thinking 'we're dead!'

Natalie dragged Lisa out the back entrance to the mall and into an alleyway. From there, she unexpectedly threw her arms around her taller friend's midsection and, releasing a small burst of energy to give herself a boost, catapulted the two of them to the rooftops. Lisa let out a little screech of surprise at the action, but was even more surprised when her friend instructed her to get on her back.

"Huh?" she asked a little dumbfoundedly.

She rolled her eyes. "Get on my back! The quickest way to get away from here is by jumping from roof to roof and getting to another section of the city! That should give us a little more time!"

Lisa gulped, a little uncertain about this. Not that she didn't trust her friend or anything ,but she just had a terrible fear of heights and falling. But, given the alternative, having the Rekai Tentai find them and start a little interrogation... She shivered at the thought of Hiei and immediately climbed on her friends back.

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The Spirit Detectives looked at their surroundings carefully as Kuwabara kept his senses acute, trying to pick up on the energy of the mysterious girls. Botan had dropped them off about ten minutes ago and thus far they had seen nothing but normal citizens making their way home for dinner.

"Are you feeling anything, Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked.

The human shook his head. "Not a thing. Believe me, if I pick up on something, you guys'll know about it."

Kurama frowned, taking in his surroundings again. "Well, they can't have gotten far. I suppose all we can do is keep looking. If they are from another realm as we suspect, then that means they don't have a home of their own. They would have nowhere to go except for public businesses."

Yusuke nodded. "Good point. We should check out some of the restaurants and stores in the area. Maybe someone's seen them."

The kitsune nodded. "Kuwabara, you come with me. We should do this in pairs just to be safe."

Nodding, the human joined the fox as Yusuke and Hiei went off in another direction to peek inside some of the places and ask the patrons if any girls matching their descriptions had come into their establishments.

Kurama and Kuwabara hit the jackpot in moments when they entered a bistro and had confirmation from the man behind the counter.

They quickly raced out onto the street, meeting up with Yusuke and Hiei.

"That guy in Taka's Bistro said that two girls lookin' just like the ones we're lookin' for came in there about twenty minutes ago!" Kuwabara said.

Yusuke nodded. "Good. They should be close by then. We just need to keep looking and..."

Kuwabara's eyes went wide in that instant and he turned, looking down the street.

"Kuwabara?" Yusuke asked.

"I just felt a burst of chi coming from that way! It was only about four blocks from here... on the other side of the strip mall, I think!"

Kurama nodded immediately. "Then let's go! I may have been that girl."

The four of them started of down the street at a run, looking around themselves carefully on the off chance that Kuwabara's senses were mistaken. They made their way though the mall, not pausing even for an instant as they left through the back entrance and entered the alleyway in the back.

Kuwabara nodded immediately. "This is the place, all right! I can sense a chi trail. It leads from here to..." He blinked. "The roofs?"

The four of them exchanged several looks, and then shrugged as one before leaping up to the top of the building.

**Okay, there's chapter two for you!! Please read and review!! I really want to know what everyone thinks!!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's Chapter three! Please read and reveiw!!**

**I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters from that show. All I own are Natalie and Lisa.**

When Natalie finally figured they were far enough and the least densely populated area of town, she dropped down to the ground and let Lisa off. Then she took her friend by the hand and started running once more.

"NOW what? Why are we running again?!"

She rolled her eyes. "Kuwabara can sense chi, remember? I had to use chi in order to make a quick exit, but now that we've distanced ourselves from them a little, I have time to suppress my spirit energy completely to avoid detection. But it won't take Kuwabara long to track my trail and they could be in this area of town any minute now! We've got to keep going and hopefully when they can no longer detect my spirit energy, it'll slow them down even more. In the meantime, we should be able to hide out in one of these abandoned buildings and sit tight." On that note, she skidded to a stop once more and cursed. "Oh, SHIT!!!!!"

"Now what?!" Lisa asked, getting more and more freaked out by the second.

"I sense more energy coming this way!"

She went white. "They're here already?!"

She shook her head. "I don't think it's them. There's six of them this time. I think some demons picked up on my spirit energy and are coming to take a look for themselves!"

Lisa's eyes went enormous. "WHAT?!"

Before either girl could move, six forms dropped on all sides of them, all of them having undeniably demonic characteristics. The girls didn't recognize any of them from the series.

The apparent ringleader of the group looked the two of them over a little appreciatively. "So... that energy was coming from a woman, huh? That's fortunate... for us, that is..."

One with horns coming out of either side of his head nodded. "Yeah, it's that small cute thing that's giving it off. That tall blonde girl ain't got nothin' though."

Natalie quickly placed herself between her friend and the unexpected demons. This seemed to make them smile wider.

"Heh. Not much point in having a fighter slave, so we should just suck her energy from her and take her friend instead. She's cute enough to get us a decent price on the Demon Black Market..."

Lisa's eyes went huge hearing this and she took several quick steps back in horror. She wondered if Natalie was strong enough to fight these guys off. Growing up, her friend had had a Buddhist monk move in next door to their place, and he had befriended her, teaching her the art of fighting and chi control. But to her knowledge, her friend had never had to fight using it before. Keeping this in mind, she weighed her friends chances and they didn't look good.

That didn't stop her friend from deciding she was going to try, though. "Lisa!! Get away from here! I'll hold them off!!"

She protested immediately. "Natalie!! You can't seriously..."

"I SAID GO!!!!!" her friend bellowed. "NOW!!!!!!"

Hearing the tone directed at her, Lisa jumped and turned to shoot off down the street.

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Kuwabara's eyes went huge as he lead the other three from roof to roof. "DAMN!! Guys, I'm sensing demons up ahead!! I think they picked up on that girl's energy themselves!"

Kurama bit back a curse. "Is she powerful enough to fight them off? How many are there?"

He focused for a moment. "Five...No!! Six of them! An' I think she's havin' trouble already with 'em!"

Yusuke nodded. "Then let's get our asses in gear, already! Lead on, Kazu!!!"

Nodding, the human leaped to the next roof, now heading straight for the demons he sensed.

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Natalie found herself thrown to the ground once again and she quickly leaped out of the way as a demon's foot cracked the concrete where her head had been not even a second before. She was out of breath and covered with her fair share of injuries. She was trying to focus on the fight as well as keep an eye on Lisa to make sure she was safe. The demons weren't letting her friend go, and Natalie had to constantly break away from the main fight to try and help her friend. This tended to leave her open for an attack from one of the other demons.

Needless to say, she was getting the crap kicked out of her.

This only got worse from her when she never dodged quickly enough and one of the demons claws raked across her side, cutting through both cloth and skin. She cried out in pain, heard Lisa call her name in terror, and then felt someone grab her by the collar of her jacket. Before she could even think of forming a defense, the demon's knee slammed into her gut, cracking ribs and causing the world to blur in her sight with the pain. Then he smirked and unceremoniously threw her against one of the brick buildings lining the street. It cracked on impact and she landed on the ground in a heap.

Lisa started for her friend, calling out in horror. "Natalie!!!" Then she screeched as one of the demons cut her off and started advancing on her.

"Well, with that little pest outta the way, I guess you're all ours, blondie..."

Before he could take another step, however, a small burst of energy slammed into him, knocking him a few feet to the side. He turned slowly, his expression less than impressed when he saw that Natalie had worked her way to one knee, one hand extended toward him. Her left eye was sealed shut and she was gritting her teeth in pain.

She and Lisa didn't even have time to blink before the ringleader was in front of her and had her by the throat, slamming her up against the side of the building. "You just don't know when to die, do ya, bitch? I guess you like to suffer, don't ya?"

Natalie's legs were kicking feebily and uselessly as she found her air supply being cut off. She was sore everywhere and her vision was going seriously wonky, her head totally light.

_I'm sorry, Lisa... I can't help you..._ she thought.

But then, as Lisa watched, a familiar thorny vine wrapped around the demon and tore him from Natalie, leaving the girl to fall to the ground once more, coughing and gasping for breath. Lisa shot a glance to the side and, sure enough, there stood the Rekai Tentai, Kurama holding his famous Rose Whip in hand. She ignored them for now and just tore across the street to where her friend was lying.

"Natalie!! Are you okay?! Oh, God! Please say something!!"

Natalie worked her way to her knees, trembling slightly with both strain and pain, her eyes a little bleary. When she saw that the Spirit Detectives had shown up and were currently starting to fight with the demons that had been attacking the girls, she bit back a curse. She quickly, but shakily, made her way to her feet.

"Natalie! You shouldn't be moving around! They hurt you really bad, and..."

"I'll... be okay. We've gotta get away from here. Our only chance is to do it while those guys are fighting each other. Now come on." She took Lisa's hand and pulled her into an alleyway that was right close to them. Breathing heavily, she scooped up her friend once more and leaped to the rooftop. She tried not to wince at the landing.

Just a few blocks away, she thought. Nodding to herself, she raced for the edge and leaped from building to building a few times again until she thought they were a safe enough distance away from the fight. Then she leaped to the ground, the impact jarring her to the bone and she fell to her knees, gritting her teeth together as she held her side.

Lisa was knelt beside her immediately. "Please! Stop pushing yourself, Nat'!! If you keep this up, you're only going to make your injuries worse than they are already!"

She tried a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, really. We have to find another building to hide in! When we're out of sight... I'll rest." She took her friend by the hand once more. "Now come on. We don't have much time. It won't take them long to defeat those guys." Then, ignoring her friends protests, she took off in a run down the street, stopping when they came to an old office building with two floors.

Natalie opened the door and stumbled, her hand reaching out to lean against the wall and keeping herself from crashing to the ground. Lisa raced forward to catch her friend and support her. "Let me guess... you wanna go to the second level, right?"

She nodded wordlessly as her taller friend sighed, supporting her as they worked their way up to the second floor. Once they were there, Lisa brought the both of them into a room and settled her friend down on the floor and against the wall.

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Meanwhile, the Rekai Tentai had finished off the fight with relative ease and Yusuke cursed, seeing the girls were now gone.

"Where the hell did they go?"

Kurama's brow furrowed. "My question would be WHY did they go? That girl was badly injured and should not have been on her feet, for one thing, and for another, why would they leave when help had just arrived?"

"Unless they're deliberately avoiding us specifically," Hiei cut in.

Kuwabara blinked. "What the hell are you talking about, runt?"

Hiei ignored the insulting name and snorted. "Hn. Don't you think it unusual that the moment we arrived in Nerima Sector, the girls were in a corner of the district, leaping from one roof to the other until coming here? And then when we arrive here, the second we're distracted, they take advantage of that fact to take off once more, despite the one girls considerable injuries? It seems to me that they are avoiding us. I'm guessing that small one can detect us."

Yusuke blinked. "Well, I guess that makes sense, except I can't think of a reason WHY they would want to avoid us. I mean... why run off when we had just saved them?"

The fire apparation shrugged. "We'll find out when we catch up with them. And this time, with the girl in her fragile state, I doubt they'll be running off again."

Kurama nodded. "Yes. Kuwabara, can you follow their trail again?"

The boy frowned for a moment in concentration, and then nodded. He lead them to an alleyway that was very close to where the girl had been laying injured moments before. "They went in here and..." He looked around a moment, and then shrugged, pointing up. "It looks like they're traveling by roof again."

Yusuke nodded. 'Then let's go find them."

They found the street where the girls had stopped only moments later and looked around. This area of town was pretty well deserted, and there was nobody in sight. Many of the buildings were condemned and about the only thing someone might find on this side of town were seedy bars that somehow managed to eke out an existence, and the occassional hooker.

"Alright," Yusuke said, looking around carefully. "Where are they?"

Kurama frowned, taking in every detail of their surroundings before his eyes fell on something. "I think I have an idea on where to find them," he said, indicating one of the buildings. Following his gaze, the other three saw a bloody handprint on the side of one of the buildings, right beside an ajar door. Nodding, the four of them went inside, and it didn't take them long to figure out from another bloodstain on a railing, that the girls had gone upstairs to the second level.

**Kay, there's chapter three! Please read and review! In chapter four, they find Natalie and Lisa, and the questions begin!!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Here's chapter four! R&R please!!**

**I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho.**

Lisa hovered at her friend's side, facing the door leading into the room from the hall outside. Natalie was currently sitting against the wall, one hand holding her side where the gash was still bleeding. She was taking in deep calculated breaths, her teeth grinding together as she kept her eyes shut tight.

The blonde looked at her friend. "Natalie... tell me the truth. How bad is it?" Lisa asked, her voice stern, but not without a hint of fear.

Natalie opened her eyes and looked at her friend for a long moment before letting out a sigh. "I'm not going to lie to you, Lis'. It's pretty bad. I don't know if it's the loss of blood or a concussion, but... I can't focus on anything. I can't detect energy right now. In fact, I'm even having problems seeing straight and keeping my eyes open." She took in a shaky breath and let it out slowly. "We're screwed. They're definitely going to find us, and this time I can't do anything to get us away from them." She looked at her friend, her eyes looking slightly glazed. "Just remember... try to keep your thoughts from them, all right?"

Lisa gulped, and then nodded, trying to squash the fear in her mind with little success. Natalie was hurt bad... really bad. Her eyes went wide when she saw her friends head start to fall into her chest.

"HEY!! Don't you DARE lose consciousness on me, Natalie!!!" she said, quickly giving her friend a light slap across the face.

Her eyes opened weakly again, and she managed a weak smile. "Sorry. I'm just... real tired. Those guys really beat the shit outta me."

Lisa shook her head. "Look, if you do have a concussion like you say you might, then going to sleep is the last thing you want to do, right? And we don't know what other injuries you might have... broken ribs, collapsed lung... who knows? And I am telling you right now that if you go and DIE on me, I am going to have a total and utter panic attack! You're the one who got us here, and you're the one who understand's what's going on! I don't know ANYTHING about this kinda stuff! Demons, dimensional travel... whatever the hell else is involved in this, I have no clue about it at all! So when those guys catch up with us, if they have questions, I have no idea what I'm going to do! I have no idea what to tell them if you go and zonk out on me!!!" Lisa had been rambling on, her mind almost numb with worry, terror and confusion when she caught a movement by the door. Her head jerked up and she let out a yelp when she saw Yusuke and Kurama standing in the doorway.

Natalie saw her friends reaction and instintually got to her feet immediately, placing herself protectively between the men and her friend. She saw Yusuke and Kurama enter the room, the fox demon holding his hands up in a gesture of peace. They were soon followed by Kuwabara and Hiei, the fire apparations expression completely void of emotion as his fiery eyes gazed at her coldly.

Then the world wavered in her sight and she felt her legs quivering weakly beneath her. The sudden movement had sent a jarring pain shooting through her side and she was unnable to keep herself from wincing in pain.

"I'm... sorry, kiddo. You're on... your... own..." she managed to get out before she simply collapsed.

Lisa cried out in horror as she dropped to her friends side. Then she blinked when she saw someone else kneeling down right across from her. She looked up and wasn't very surprised to see a certain fox demon.

"Kurama, please help her," she managed to get out. The boys eyes widened a little and from where he stood, Hiei's own eyes narrowed dangerously, but neither one of them said anything. The girl was obviously terrified and very concerned about her friend's well being and so, albeit hesitantly, both demons decided that any questions could wait for another time.

Kurama simply started checking the girl over carefully, casting a clance back at Yusuke. "Once I have ascertained the extent of her injuries, you get Botan here so she can transport us all back to the Spirit World."

The boy nodded, reaching into his jacket pocket to pull out a mirror that was his connection to the reaper. He crossed his arms and waited patiently for the fox demon to check the girl over.

Lisa cast a glance at Hiei as she waited anxiously and shivered when she saw his fiery eyes squarely on her, his mouth set in a deep frown. She quickly looked away and made her mind go blank, remembering what her friend had said about keeping her thoughts to herself. Instead, she tried to focus on watching Kurama stabilize Natalie, using his fox magic and plants to bring her bleeding to a stop and making sure that she was okay to move.

After a few minutes, he nodded. "That should do for now, but when we get to Koenma's we should bring her to the medical facilities." He very carefully scooped the girl up into his arms. He looked down at Lisa then. "I'm afraid you will have to come with us, Miss. Our employer has a few questions for you and your friend."

Lisa turned white, not wanting to go through this at all. She tried to keep her stomach from doing flip flops as she feebily nodded and shakily got to her feet. She felt a hand on her shoulder and almost jumped clean out of her skin, and then found a smiling Kuwabara looking at her. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Yusuke talking to Botan through the mirror.

"Easy, it's okay. We ain't gonna hurt you. I'm Kazuma Kuwabara, the guy talking to the mirror is Yusuke Urameshi, this is Hiei, and this is Kurama.We're Spirit Detectives."

Lisa wasn't very good at playing dumb, but given the circumstances and the overwhelming feelings of unease she was experiencing, it was convincing enough. "Spirit... Detectives?"

Kurama nodded. "Yes. We work for another realm, known as the Spirit World. Our employer is the second in command of that place, Koenma. A few hours ago, he detected your mysterious arrival in our world, and now we are all very much curious as to how it is that you came to be here."

The blonde girl indicated her friend, lying unconscious in the arms of the kitsune. "She's the one who's going to have to tell you how we got here. She's the one with the know-how out of the two of us. I don't follow any of it."

Yusuke came up to them, putting the mirror back in his jacket. "Botan'll be here soon." Then he grinned at Lisa. "So, were you introduced yet? What's your name?"

She tried to avoid making eye contact with anybody. "I'm Lisa. And my friend is Natalie."

Hiei frowned slightly watching her. _She seems to be taking this all fairly well, considering the fact that she claims to be a normal human._

Kurama nodded mentally. _True, but we can't discount the fact that her friend appears to be a fighter as well. And if I understood the conversation she was having with her friend before we entered the room, I believe that her friend is somehow responsible for their being here in the first place._

_The thing that bothers me,_ Hiei said, _is that Lisa called you by name before even being introduced to you. I do believe that these girls know more about us than we first thought... although how or why that should be, I don't know._

Kurama frowned slightly in his friends direction. _Don't go using your jagen eye on them, Hiei. Not yet, at least. We'll see what the two of them say when we get back to Otherworld. And don't try questioning them yourself, please. Especially Lisa. The poor girl looks scared as it is without you threatening to decapitate her._

_We'll see, Fox. But if I suspect they know too much..._

Hiei let the sentence hang and Kurama knew better than to pursue the matter right now. He cast a glance at Lisa and saw that the girl was avoiding looking at any of them, her features a little pale and her face more than just a little worried.

In that moment, Botan appeared, floating on her oar. She blinked when she saw the unconscious woman. "What happened? I thought Koenma told you not to hurt them unless..."

Yusuke shook his head. "It wasn't us. It was a group of wayward demons that picked up on her energy. We barely got there in time to save them. Ya mind opening that portal for us now, Botan?"  
The blue haired girl blinked and then nodded, smiling at them. She was a little surprised that Lisa didn't seem to be at all shocked by her sudden appearance, but shrugged it off for now. There was time enough to find out what these girls were all about.

The girl opened the portal as asked and the Spirit Detectives all entered, Lisa being sure to keep Kurama between herself and Hiei. He was even a little shorter than Natalie, but after watching him in the series, she knew she wanted to keep some distance between them. Between that murderous glint in his eyes and knowing about his speed, there was no doubt that the little fire demon intimidated the hell out of her.

Lisa mentally bit her tongue. Thoughts to myself, she told herself. No more thoughts like that...

Once she had stepped into the portal, she felt an almost overwhelming sense of vertigo and almost fell backwards before feeling two strong arms holding her upright. Blinking, she saw that Kuwabara had come up to her from behind and caught her before she could go crashing to the floor. He grinned a little sheepishly.

"Sorry, we should have warned you... your first time going through a portal can be pretty harsh. It takes a few times before you get used to it."

She blinked. "Um... thanks."

Before anything else could be said, they heard a relieved voice coming from the far side of the room. "Ah, you found them! Good, good!" Koenma stopped speaking for a few seconds, seeing the one girl lying unconscious in the arms of Kurama. "What happened? I thought I told you...?"

Yusuke scowled a little. "Before you go accusing us of hurting her, toddler, there was a group of wayward demons that picked up on her energy and picked the fight with her! We saved them, so don't go making accusations! Besides, aren't you supposed to be the one who knows all this stuff? You'd think you'd be keeping tabs on situations such as wayward demons and our movements in these assignments that you keep giving us!"

Koenma frowned at him a little. "Hey, you try running the Spirit World for a few days, Yusuke! It's a lot harder than it looks, you know! I can't keep track of every single little detail of what happens on earth!" Then he composed himself, clearing his throat. "Well, I guess there's no helping it. Kuwabara, you bring that girl to the medical ward, would you please? The rest of you, I'd like to hear a report of what happened."

Kurama carefully handed the injured girl to the human and Kuwabara headed out of the room. Lisa almost went to follow him, but felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Kurama shaking his head at her. It was evident that she was to stay here... probably to answer some questions. She felt her stomach drop.

Yusuke was giving the account of what had happened, Kurama stepping in sometimes to clean up some detail that he thought was worth mentioning. The two demons thought it best, for the time being, to conveniently forget that Lisa had seemed to know the fox demon by name before having been introduced to him. The girl made it a point to avoid eye contact with any of them while they relayed the story.

When they were finished, Koenma looked straight at her pointedly. It also escaped none of their attention that the girl didn't seem to be shocked at the sight of a floating, talking baby... or making fun of the detectives for having to take orders from him.

"Your name is Lisa, right?" Koenma asked.

She nodded silently, trying to keep herself from trembling. She hated facing this by herself. Now more than ever, she wished that Natalie was here to help her out with this stuff. She just knew that she was about to face a few hard questions and she had no idea what she was going to say in response to them.

"Would you mind explaining to us how it is that you and your friend got here?"

Lisa fidgeted a little uneasily, fully aware that the entire time she had been in the throne room, that Hiei's eyes had been squarely on her. She could feel his eyes drilling into her right now, and it was making her all the more uneasy by the second.

"Well... to be quite honest, I'm not really sure how we got here," she started carefully. "My friend... she practices magick and there's this technique she knows that allows your spirit to leave your body. Using this technique, you can even travel to other dimensions... but it's not supposed to by physical. We were exploring other realms, but the second we entered this one, for some reason it was as if we were suddenly trapped in some weird vaccuum and..." She shrugged. "We found ourselves here physically. I don't think even Natalie knows how it happened."

Hiei spoke up then. "Your friend practices this magick and you say you are nothing more than a normal woman. So how is it that you were able to use this technique as well?"

Lisa blinked, a little relieved that this question was easy to answer, with no need to lie. "It's a mental technique, not a magickal one. You don't have to be a practioner of magick to use it. Natalie just gave me some strange ointment on certain areas of my body to induce a..." She blinked. "What did she call it? An altered state of consciousness?" She shrugged. "Anyway, it was something that allowed my spirit to leave my body, regardless of my lack of knowledge with the techniques. Natalie didn't need any because she's trained herself to do it without having to.

Kuwabara, who had returned in the middle of the report, looked at her. "How come the two of you ran off even when we helped you with those demons?"

She shrugged. "That was Natalie's idea. I wanted her to stay because she was hurt, but she's not really one to listen to reason. I guess, because she doesn't know much about this world, and the fact that we're here physically, she didn't want to take any risks. She felt you guys earlier, sensed at least two of you were demons, and decided to be as cautious as she could be and that we should just retreat, rather than having a possible fight. I don't know much about demons myself, but Natalie says that at least in our world, you should avoid contact with them if you can."

Lisa was actually a little surprised at how well she was able to lie. Well, maybe not lie, but twist the truth. Besides, she really didn't know much about demons in the first place and had simply been following her friends lead. But still, casting a glance off to her left, she saw Hiei's fiery eyes still staring holes into her unwaveringly. She suppressed a shiver and quickly looked away.

Kurama was looking at her with a curious expression. "Your friend is a fighter as well, isn't she?"

Lisa nodded. "Yes. Growing up, one of her neighbors was an old buddhist monk who immigrated to Canada from Japan. He taught her martial arts and chi control."

Yusuke blinked. "Canada? You girls are from Canada?"

She blinked slowly and nodded.

He let out a bit of a whistle. "Wow... so, how did you two figure out that this was a Japan in another dimension, and not just the Japan of your world?"

She blinked slowly again. "Because, we went through a doorway in our astral state that lead us to another dimension. Besides, teleportation is impossible in our world. People can't vanish from one area of the world and show up in another area an instant later. And aside from all that, just to be sure, Natalie looked at some of the headlines in the newspapers and NONE of the world news matches our own. In our world, the President of the United States is named George Bush."

Koenma nodded, casting a look at Yusuke. "Yes, that is most definitely different from our own realm. The president here is named Nathan Longheed."

Lisa suppressed a tired sigh. Now that her adrenaline rush had come to an end, she felt really tired. When they had first got to this dimension, she had been pumped full of adrenaline, especially when Natalie had felt the Rekai Tentai coming for them and they had started trying to avoid them. All that running around and worrying now left her feeling completely exhausted.

Koenma looked at her for a long moment, and then nodded, seeming to come to a decision. "You look tired, Lisa. You must be exhausted and more than a little confused by everything that's happened today, so we'll give you a room to stay in." Then he looked at her a little pointedly. "However, I have to insist that someone stay with you, merely as a precaution."

Lisa, who had known a few seconds of relief, suddenly felt herself turn white. But she breathed a silent sigh of relief when the second in command looked at Kurama questioningly and the fox demon nodded.

"I will stay with her, Koenma."

Hiei let a half sinister smile come to his face. "Well, since it appears that these girls are to be kept under observation for the time being, I will take it upon myself to keep an eye on the one in the medical wing. Just in case she decides to try something."

Lisa swallowed a lump in her throat and silently prayed that Natalie didn't do anything stupid... which was anything that might piss the little fire demon off.

She saw Kurama give Hiei a somewhat warning look, and almost wished she could hear what mental conversation was going on between the two of them, just to put her own mind at east. One thing she knew for sure from watching them, was that Hiei was NOT one who trusted easily, and if he felt that someone was a threat to him in any way whatsoever, he didn't hesitate to kill them.

She slapped herself mentally, giving herself shit for thinking potentially suspicious thoughts again. It was then that she noticed that Kurama was gently leading her out of the room and down a hall.

She felt a little more at ease with him, and was greatly relieved that the one who had volunteered to keep an eye on her was him. If Hiei had been the one... She shivered at the thought and once again hoped that Natalie was going to be okay under his watchful eye.

"Um... is Natalie going to be okay?" she asked.

Kurama cast a glance down at her, giving her a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Lisa. Your friend was badly injured, but the medical staff here will have her on her feet in only a day or two."

_She seems to be a little nervous,_ Youko stated matter of factly, observing the girl carefully thought his hosts eyes.

_Yes, I see that as well. Once we are alone, I intend to question her a little myself... and we can see what comes of it. But I have a feeling we will have to wait until her friend is well once again before we get all our questions answered._

They were at a guest room in only a few minutes and Kurama opened the door, ushering the girl in. Lisa looked around herself with some awe for a few moments, no doubt unused to the extravagence of the room she was going to be staying in. There was a large fireplace, a huge fluffy carpet covering the floor, an ornate dresser, and a door leading out to a balcony. There was only one bed, a king size just across from the fireplace, and a door that lead into an adjoining bathroom. There was also a couch nestled against another wall, large fluffy pillows in either corner of it.

Lisa sat on the edge of the bed and sighed in relief. She had been on her feet for what felt like hours and she was just happy that the hard questions had passed.

Or so she thought.

She blinked when Kurama seated himself beside her on the bed, his gentle green eyes filled with curiosity as he looked at her. "May I ask you a question, Lisa?"

She blinked again, looking at him. "Um... okay..."

His eyes gazed into her own unwaveringly and she suddenly felt a warning sensation in the pit of her stomach that she was not looking forward to the next few minutes in the least.

"When we caught up with you in the abandoned building, how is it that you knew my name before we had been introduced? I know for a fact that when we first caught up with you, fighting off the demons that were attacking you, no one called out my name, and so I am very much curious how it is that you knew who I was before being told."

Suichi and Youko knew immediately that they had hit a sensitive topic, because in that instant, the woman's face went white as a sheet and her eyes went huge.

_SHIT!!!!_ Lisa screamed in her mind. _Oh, my GOD!! I DID DO THAT!!! HOW COULD I HAVE BEEN SO STUPID?! OMIGOD!!! What am I going to tell him?! I can't tell him the truth! But I can't lie to him either, he'd pick up on it in a second if I did!! What do I say? 'Well, the truth is, in our world you guys are all part of a cartoon show called 'Yu Yu Hakusho' and both me and Natalie know pretty much everything about you'? Well, there is more to it than that, actually, but I'm not quite sure how to explain that whole 'everything that can be imagined exists somewhere' stuff that Natalie tried explaining to me before we went on this trip..._

Kurama's expression never wavered at all, waiting expectantly for her to answer his question.

Lisa did the only thing she could think of. She quickly broke eye contact with him and stood, needing the movement to distract her. "I'm sorry, but I can't answer that," she said, getting ready to put some distance between them, and trying to think of what she was going to say after. But her intended short trip was stopped by a hand grabbing hold of her wrist in an iron grip.

Her heart almost stopped in that instant, and then it leaped into her throat as the kitsune, still holding her wrist, stood up and circled around to stand before her. His gentle green eyes were now hard and had turned golden. That meant that Youko was now in control of Suichi's body. This knowledge sent her heart rate through the roof.

"Are you implying that I have no right to know how it is possible for a woman I have never met before to know my name?" he asked, his voice low, and holding more than just a little threat. "Hiei and I both suspect that you girls know more than you are telling us, and I intend to find out how much you know, and how it is that you came across this information, seeing as how you are both from another realm. I felt it would not be fair to question you about such a sensitive topic in the presence of all of us, since it would be unfair to intimidate you in such an extreme manner, but I will NOT stand for such a vague response to my question. It is clear to me now that you know FAR more about me than I initially thought, and I intend to know how that is, Lisa."

The girl quickly shut her eyes and turned her head away from him. She couldn't look into those eyes, and she couldn't stop herself from trembling. Right now, Kurama was larger than life itself, and he scared her almost as much as Hiei. Almost because if it were Hiei with her and she had responded to him in the manner that she had with Kurama, she would probably have a sword at her throat right now.

"Please... don't ask me this..." she managed to get out. Her heart rate was through the roof and she felt tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes. This was too much for her to handle. She felt her throat constricting and she had to swallow a few times to allow her to keep talking. "I..." She cleared her throat. "You're right... that Natalie and I... know things about you... but... I have no idea how to explain HOW to you in a way that would make sense... That is... She tried explaining it to me before, and I thought I got it, but to try explaining it to you... without Natalie here to help me do it..." She shook her head. "I just... I can't." She opened her eyes and dared to look at him again, her expression pleading. "Please... wait until Natalie is better, and she will explain it. I promise. She's the one who can explain it in a way that you'll understand. I just... I don't know enough about it to explain..."

Kurama's expression was now a little curious as he looked at the obviously petrified woman still in his grasp. How was it that she could know of them, and yet not be able to explain HOW... in a manner that he would understand? But he could tell, just by looking at her, that she was speaking the truth. Suichi was just as confused as he was at her response, but agreed that she seemed to be honest in her dealings with them.

Lisa almost fell over in relief when she saw the golden color in his eyes be replaced by the gentle green once more. Kurama gave her a small smile and a nod. "Very well, Lisa. Until your friend is well again, I will not question you on how it is that you came across your information about us. However... now that you know that I know you have information about us... may I ask just how much you know?"

Lisa took in a deep breath. "Um... we know alot... actually..."

Kurama had loosened his grip on her wrist considerably and examined it for a moment to ensure he had not caused her injury before seating her on the bed once again. "How much is a lot?" he asked, unable to hide his curiosity.

She took in another deep breath and cleared her throat. "Okay... this is probably going to freak you out a bit, but... Your full name is Youko Kurama and you're a Fox Demon... correction: SILVER fox demon, who used to be one of the most notorious thieves in the Demon World. Years ago you were attacked by demon hunters and used the last of your strength to open a portal leading to earth and entered the womb of a pregnant woman named Shiori who soon became your mother. She named her son Suichi Minamino and, although you were planning on leaving the moment your strength returned, you changed your mind when you saw how much your mother loved you and she fell ill, which ultimately changed you as a result. You are now indivisibly Suichi Minamino and Youko Kurama. Your specialty is plants and you have a great deal of knowledge on both plants on Earth and the demon world and you have the abilitiy to control and fight with them."

When she dared to cast a glance at Kurama's face, she saw his eyebrows had shot up and he looked at her with a great deal of curiosity in his features.

Then his lips formed a smirk. "I must admit that both Youko and myself are now VERY curious. However, since I have promised not to question you on how you gained this knowledge, I will not pry until your friend has regained her health." Then a thought came to him, and he looked at her curiously again. "And... how much do you know about... Hiei?"

Her face went white again and she cleared her throat, nervously wringing her hands on her lap. "Um... actually, that's... one of the main reasons that Natalie insisted that we... run. The both of us know about... his... sister. And his jagen eye.. and his considerable bloodlust. And temper. And how badly he wants Yukina to remain in the dark about his relations to her. We kinda figured that if he used his jagen eye on one of us and found out about what we know about him and Yukina... that he would either kill us or come very close to it. Natalie's tough, but she sure as hell can't match his speed."

Kurama frowned deeply, hearing this. "That definitely sheds light on why the two of you ran, even in your friends condition. Although Hiei has not used his jagen eye on either of you yet, right now he is alone with your frined. If he should learn what you've told me, then we might not get the chance to question your friend on how it is that you came to be here and about how you both came across this knowledge in the first place."

She shook her head. "If he was the one watching ME, then I'd be worried. Natalie put up a ward around her mind and so Hiei would have to use some force if he wanted to peek inside her head, and I don't think he's willing to do that just yet. Hiei has more patience than that. Me, on the other hand, I don't have a clue how to put up a ward of my own, and the only advice Natalie could give me was trying to keep my thoughts away from any knowledge that pertained to you guys in the hopes that Hiei wouldn't be able to access it." She shrugged. "Besides, Natalie knows more about you guys than I do, so I think she might have a better idea on how to deal with Hiei, even though she's never met him personally before."

He smiled at her a little mischeviously. "May I assume that you and your friend also have knowledge about Yusuke, Kuwabara, Botan and Koenma, especially considering the fact that you didn't seem surprised or amused that we take our orders from a leader that appears to be a toddler, and that a blue haired woman with the distinction of being a reaper appeared floating on oar to open a portal for us to the Spirit World?"

She blushed a little and nodded silently. Then, before she could even think of trying to suppress it, she let out a yawn.

His smile grew. "Forgive me. You are exhausted and I have kept you up with my questioning. You should get some rest now." Then he blinked, looking at her. "Were you injured in the fight earlier? Do you hurt anywhere?"

Lisa blinked and shook her head. "Natalie did good at keeping them away from me." She considered. "She got the crap kicked out of her for her troubles, but she always was protective of me."

He nodded. "Very well. I just thought I would check. I will go sit on the couch until you wake up once more, Lisa. You just lie down and get some sleep. If I hear any change regarding your friends condition, I will wake you up."

Lisa nodded tiredly and Kurama stood up from the side of the bed. The young woman wordlessly pulled back the blankets and zonked out the second her head hit the pillow.

**Kay, there's chapter four!! I know it was a long one, I hope you guys don't mind!!**

**Please tell me what you think of my story! R&R!!!!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Alright, here's chapter five!! Please R&R!! I really want to know what everyone thinks of my story!!**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Just Natalie and Lisa.**

In the medical ward, Hiei was currently sitting in a chair at the bedside of the dark haired girl. She hadn't stirred, but with the ointments and treatments that the doctors here had given her, it wouldn't be long before she regained consciousness.

Hiei had attempted to use his jagen eye on the young woman, to see if he could learn anything about the two of them, but had been more than a little surprised to find that she had placed a ward up around her mind. He could penetrate it if he used more power, but that might cause her considerable pain. He knew if he did that, he would never hear the end of it, both from Koenma, as well as the others. Especially that kitsune, Kurama.

But the ward also served to raise his initial suspicions. The fact that she had a ward up around her mind told him that she was wary of anyone who might have the ability to peek into her mind and take information from it. But what information might she have to hide from them?, he had to wonder. His fiery eyes had remained on her steadily, and he thought back on the explanation that the tall blonde woman had given them as to how they had gotten here. He believed the story of their arrival here, but he could tell that much of what she had said were twisted half truths. And the way she had continually cast nervous looks in his direction and quickly looked away told him that she was aware of his power. And yet, if she were a normal human and had not yet seen him fight herself, how would she know of his power and why would she be so nervous in his presence?

Hiei couldn't wait to find out.

He knew all this information meant that these girls definitely knew more than they were telling them. Somehow, Hiei suspected that they knew things about THEM. The fact that she had called Kurama by name and that she had been avoiding looking directly at Hiei seemed to support that. But how they come across this information when they were both from an entirely different realm... that was another mystery altogether... and it was one that the koorime was most definitely looking forward to solving.

So he sat and waited in silence for a good three hours, never changing his position or taking his eyes off of the girl, only occassionally being interrupted by one of the medical staff who came in to check on her.

Then, only a half hour after the last check, the girl let out a small moan and opened her eyes.

----------------------------------------

Natalie first became aware that she was lying on a soft bed covered in blankets... and she felt a powerful presence right at her side. A demonic presence. It didn't feel mingled with a human in any way, and so she thought it was safe to assume that it was Hiei.

She thought carefully for a few moments. She couldn't fake sleep for long, she knew, and she knew she had to be extremely careful in her dealings with the sly and perceptive koorime. Because she could feel no one else in the room with them at the moment and that meant if he started to threaten her... there would be no one to stop him from killing her if he thought it was necessary.

She just had to keep her expression neutral... just like his. Keep a poker face until she was no longer alone with him. And, of course, seeing as how he was probably going to have a million questions for her, she knew she was going to have to think carefully about how she responded to them.

So, she shifted slightly on the bed, felt a sharp pain lance through her side, let out a small moan, and then opened her eyes.

Just from a quick glance at the room around her, she knew she was in the medical ward of Koenma's palace. She turned her head to her left and, sure enough, her dark green eyes met fiery red.

They just looked at each other for a long moment, neither saying anything. It was Natalie who finally broke the silence.

"Where am I... and where is my friend?" she asked, her voice low and with a barely perceptible threat. She already knew that Lisa was likely okay, but she had to pretend ignorance.

Hiei gave his telltale snort. "Hn. You're in the Spirit World Medical Ward. And your friend is fine. She's probably resting in her own room right now."

Natalie then tried to sit up, and her efforts were rewarded by a searing pain shooting up her side and back. She cursed mentally. She was fucked if Hiei decided to take advantage of her injured state. Then she thought back on the series and decided that Hiei had more honor than that.

"I guess getting up's not an option for me right now," she said with a slight scowl as she settled down once more.

"Hn. You got yourself in this mess, ningen. If you had stayed where you were in the first place instead of running off when you sensed us coming, you never would have encountered those wayward demons. Also, running off when you were injured only aggravated the injuries you had sustained. This is your own fault."

She looked at him, her eyes a little hard as she framed her reply. "Considering our circumstances at the time, I thought it best for the two of us to avoid any possible confrontations. Two demons in a group of four people are not good odds and so I thought it best to distance ourselves from any possible violence. I'm sorry if you thought my logic in that particular matter was unsound. Also, despite the fact that you and your companions seemed to want to help us, demons are demons and I don't trust your kind so easily. Lisa's safety is my top priority, so I opted for the road of caution and took off again, obviously not aware of just how bad my injuries were. I'm sorry if you have a problem with that."

Hiei smirked. She was stubborn, distrustful and obviously had a sarcastic side to her. That much he believed. So far she had given nothing away, obviously more practiced at twisting the truth and perhaps outright lying than her tall blonde friend. Everything she had said so far had been said without hesitation and her features had given nothing away. The koorime liked a challenge. Sometimes the best way to bring secrets to the fore was to ask directly.

"We know you and your friend come from another dimension. How did you get here? Your friend told us to talk to you about it."

Her expression never changed at all and her words came out without even a hint of hesitation, clear and precise, leaving no room for argument. "I'm not saying anything about that matter until my friend is with me again. Because I don't trust you."

His smirk grew. "Well, that's one thing we have in common, ningen. I don't trust you either. And, incidently, you don't seem to be very surprised that you're in Otherworld. How is it that you can take this so calmly?"

This time it was her turn to snort. "If you've really talked to Lisa, then she must have told you about my magickal practices and mental techniques. We have an Otherworld in our dimension, too. I've never actually been there physically, but I know it's there, and I know, to some degree, what it's for. Besides, after being physically transported to another dimension in the first place, it would take a lot to surprise me."

So, she had guessed correctly that her friend had already been questioned by them. He guessed she would only find it logical, considering the circumstances of their arrival here. But still, he had to wonder... If she was so concerned about her friend, why was she not going out of her mind trying to figure out, beyond any reasonable doubt, that she was all right?

Then Hiei, looking deep into her eyes, saw the carefully concealed fear that was warring under the surface. She was afraid of something, all right. And perhaps she even was concerned about her friends well being. Then a thought came to him.

"Why do you have a ward up around your mind?"

Her gaze went a little hard and there was a hint of accusation behind them. "Because nobody has any fucking business poking around in there. I always have a ward up to prevent practiced psychics or malicious demons from taking information from my mind and using it against me. Since you asked that question, I think it's safe to assume that you tried looking into my head, right?"

He nodded, letting a smirk come to his face once more. Then he reached up and took his headband off, revealing his third eye. "I have the ability to read people's minds. However, I never used much force, and only tried a gentle probe when it came to you, considering the extent of your injuries, as well as the fact that my companions would not be impressed with me if I inadvertently harmed you. However, I could use more force and easily break through that ward if I chose to do so."

He probably could too, Natalie knew. And if she accidently gave anything away, she had a feeling he WOULD. That meant it was all the more important for her to use her words with great care when dealing with Hiei.

She was about to frame her reply to his subtle threat when the door opened and a blue man with horns sticking out of either side of his head entered the room. Natalie couldn't help it as her eyebrows shot up. She had seen the ogres in the series, of course, but it was strange seeing them for real. Seeing that the ogre was wearing a white jacket, she knew that he was a doctor.

He smiled immediately, seeing she was awake. "Ah, you're awake! That's good!" He came over to her bedside, seemingly ignoring Hiei. "So, how do you feel?"

She looked at him, resisting the urge to roll her eyes. "Like I got the royal fuck kicked out of me. How do you think?"

He chuckled and out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hiei smirk. "Well, you did at that, but we'll have you fixed right up in no time." He looked at a chart that was hanging on the foot of her bed. "As it is, your recovery is coming along nicely. I'm just going to change your bandages, reapply some ointments, and give you a few remedies to drink. By tomorrow morning, you should be as good as new."

Natalie was relieved to hear that. It meant she wouldn't have to be confined to this damned bed and under the watchful eye of a certain demon for much longer.

The doctor looked at Hiei as he started preparing some bandages. "You mind telling Koenma and the others that she's awake now? We need privacy for this anyway, so you shouldn't be in here."

Hiei scowled and the man lost a few shades of blue. Then, much to his apparent relief, the demon shrugged and got to his feet without another word. His red eyes fell on Natalie once more. "I advise you not to try anything while I'm gone. I would hate to have to hurt you so early in the game."

She scowled at him. "Do I look like I'm in any condition to try something, shorty?"

His red eyes narrowed dangerously for a moment. "Don't call me that," he warned, his voice low and filled with danger.

She didn't look in the least bit concerned by his expression or tone of voice. "What do you expect me to call you? You never even told me your name."

He growled low in his throat. "It's Hiei." He started for the door, before he stopped and turned to face her again, a smirk on his face. "You know, it's interesting. Only seconds after you lost consciousness, your friend called one of my companions by name... before having been introduced to any of us. How is that, do you suppose, when you two come from a completely different dimension?"

Hiei felt his first victory as he saw the woman's face go white. But now was not the time for further questioning. He decided to leave her in her current state of mind, and to leave his words with her. Turning once more, he left the room.

Natalie's eyes remained on where Hiei had been standing only a moment before, and she mulled over what he had said. It looked like Lisa hadn't been able to avoid suspicion. But then, she realized from his earlier questioning that he had been trying to catch her in a lie. His efforts up until that last moment had been futile. She scowled inwardly. She hoped he felt happy with his little victory.

She sighed inwardly as the doctor carefully removed her shirt and started redressing her wounds.

_We are so totally fucked,_ she thought. Natalie knew she would have no choice but to tell them the truth, and when Hiei found out... well, she guessed she was just going to have to deal with that when the time came.

--------------------------

Kurama was seated on the couch in Lisa's guest room, sitting patiently and listening to the even breathing of the young woman sleeping in the bed now. He was contemplating what information he had gotten from her, musing how it could be possible, when a familiar voice entered his mind.

_Kurama, I'm coming to you. Is that ningen woman sleeping?_

_Yes. So if we are to visit with one another, I do hope you will be considerate and keep our conversation telepathic._

_Hn._

A moment later, the door swung open silently and the koorime entered the room, his red eyes casting a glance at the bed where the young woman was sleeping. Kurama motioned to him from the sofa and he wordlessly sat down beside him.

_The other one is awake, _Hiei said simply.

Kurama turned to face him. _Did you learn anything from her?_

Hiei snorted. _Hn. I learned that she's as good at deception as any demon. I couldn't catch her off guard... until the last moment when I left her. Her story seemed to perfectly match Lisa's, and her eyes gave nothing away._

Kurama considered this. _Ímpressive for her to not be intimidated by one such as you. At what point did you catch her off guard?_

Hiei smirked. _When I mentioned the fact that her friend called you by name before having been introduced. She turned white and her eyes went wide at that point. I guess I must have hit a nerve._

Kurama frowned a moment, contemplating. _I spoke with Lisa before she went to sleep._

_And?_ Hiei questioned when the kitsune didn't elaborate.

He sighed. _And we were right, I'm afraid. They do know more about us. A great deal more than we had originally anticipated. However, for some strange reason, Lisa was unable to explain to me how it was that they know of us. She gave me detailed information about myself, as well as Youko, and when I tried to demand an explanation, she told me that the only one who could explain how in a way I would understand was her friend, Natalie._

Hiei's eyes flashed a little dangerously. _Just how much do they know?_

_I'm not really sure, to be quite honest. Her exhaustion cut our conversation short._

The fire apparation growled low in his throat. _If those two know about Yukina..._

_If they know about Yukina, I am sure they will keep it a secret, Hiei, _Kurama cut in. _Lisa is very much intimidated by you and I'm sure she would never indulge a secret like that to someone else... especially when she knows what the possible consequences would be._

_Yes, but what about that one in the medical ward? She's stubborn, defiant, and headstrong. I don't trust her at all._

Kurama shrugged. _Let us not jump to conclusions just yet, Hiei. We will wait until she is well again, and then we will see what she has to say about all of this. Until then, we just have to be patient._

_That ningen woman had better have one fucking good explanation for us..._

The fox shrugged. _I guess we'll find out. _Then he blinked. _I promised Lisa I would wake her when I heard something about her friends condition. If she is awake, perhaps I should let her know. She is greatly concerned about her friends well being._

Hiei shrugged. _Whatever. I don't think she can see her until tomorrow morning anyway. Although the doctor said her recovery is coming along nicely, she will not be well until then._

Nodding, Kurama got to his feet and gently roused the girl. She blinked sleepily and looked up at him, her face going a little pale when she saw Hiei standing behind him.

"Hiei told me that your friend is awake now. But she will not be fully recovered until the morning."

Lisa was wide awake in an instant. "Natalie's awake?"

He nodded and gave her his patented smile. "Yes, but we should just let her rest until she is fully recovered. When that time comes, we will bring you to see her and we will question her about the details of your arrival here. Until then, you should get some more rest, all right?"

Lisa looked a little warily at Hiei and then nodded.

The koorime snorted, sticking his hands into his pockets. "Well, I came here to tell you that, so I'll go now. And incidently... Koenma told me himself that he fully intends to get all his answers in the morning."

She paled a little more and nodded, refusing to meet his gaze.

Hiei looked at her coldly for a moment longer before leaving the room without another word.

Kurama gave her a gentle smile. "I know he makes you more than a little nervous, Lisa, but he will not try anything as long as I am with you. You are safe. And you are still exhausted, so I think it would be best if you just went back to sleep."

She blinked, and then nodded. She still felt really tired and with all the stress... well, it wsn't helping matters.

She layed down once more and was sleeping soundly in minutes.

**Okay, there's chapter five for you!! In chapter six, Natalie has to spill the beans!! Exactly how does that dimensional travel work? How can the Yu Yu Hakusho universe exist in the first place? Tune in and find out!! She lays it all out in chapter six!!**

**And review, please!! REVIEW!!!!!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Alright!! Chapter six is up!! Hear the incredible explanation Natalie gives to the Rekai Tentai!**

**Oh, and to answer a question given me in one of my reviews (Sorry, I can't remember your screenname offhand, but you should know who you are): Yes, in this one, Suichi and Youko are seperate entities, even though they share the same body. I just find it so much more interesting that way, and you can use their mental conversations to your advantage and let your mind go nuts with humerous and interesting conversations that they might have with each other!! They're seperate entities in most of my stories, just because I sometimes like to torture poor Suichi with Youko's perverted thoughts once in a while.**

**Anyway, I do NOT own Yu Yu Hakusho, as much as I wish I could say otherwise. All I own are my two characters, Natalie and Lisa.**

The next morning, the doctor removed Natalie's bandages, and upon giving her a last look over, declared her healthy once more. She was astounded by the speed of her recovery, despite knowing the medical advantages the Spirit World had over the Human one.

She was given some food by another ogre that came into the room and she dug in hungrily, famished from not having eaten for almost an entire day. Hiei had yet to return to her room, thankfully, but she knew that she would be seeing him again all too soon. As well as Koenma and the rest of the Rekai Tentai.

And she knew that today she would be forced to give them an explanation. Something she was NOT looking forward to.

She blinked when the door opened and Botan stepped in, holding a bundle of clothes in her arms. "Hello, there! It's so good to see you're all right! My name is Botan and I'm the reaper of Spirit World! I just dropped in to give you a fresh change of clothes. I thought you might appreciate it since your other clothes were destroyed in your fight. Would you also like to have a shower before you meet the esteemed Koenma?"

Natalie resisted the urge to sweatdrop. She had always found Botan to be rather annoying when she had seen her in the series, and in person she was even worse. She was far too bubbly and cheerful for her liking. But she forced a smile on her face.

"I would greatly appreciate that, Botan. And thank you for the change of clothes."

She smiled. "Oh, it's no problem. There's a bathroom right off to the side there complete with a shower. Just help yourself," she said, pointing at a door on the other side of the room.

Natalie got to her feet wordlessly and entered the room, closing the door behind her. She found the shower, stripped and got in, relieved to feel the steaming hot water wash all the grime and dried blood from her body. Once she finished washing herself off, she got into her new clothes which, thankfully, was NOT a kimono. It was a pair of regular blue jeans and a black shirt that hugged her body. Taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she exited the bathroom.

"Feeling better?" came a familiar voice that she had heard hundreds of times before. Blinking, she looked up and saw Koenma there, the Rekai Tentai standing right with him. He had taken on his adult form, thankfully, but she had to resist the urge to smile when she saw he still had his pacifier stuck in his mouth.

"Natalie!" Lisa raced from Kurama's side and came up to her. "Are you okay?"

She smiled. "I'm up and walking around, so I think I'll live. You didn't honestly think I was gonna die, did you?"

She smiled a little sheepishly. "Well... you did kinda pass out on me..."

"Whatever. I'm fine now. You should have more faith in me than that, kid."

She nodded. "I guess you're right." Then she blinked. "So... what's the plan?"

Hiei stepped forward. "The plan is, we get a FULL explanation from your friend! Who are you and how is it that you came to be here? And most importantly, how is it that you have information about us when you have never met us before?!"

Kuwabara, Yusuke and Koenma looked at him. "WHAT?! They have information about us?!" the first asked in shock.

Kurama nodded. "Yes. You and Yusuke may have missed it, but when we caught up with them both in the building, Lisa called me by name before having been introduced. Upon questioning her later when we were alone in her room, she admitted that both she and her friend have knowledge about all of us... but strangely was unable to elaborate on how such a thing was possible. She told me that the only one who could explain it to us was her friend." He looked at Natalie pointedly.

The girl looked at her taller friend. Lisa just bit at her lower lip and sent an apologetic look her way.

Koenma's eyes narrowed dangerously himself. "Well, then. I most certainly hope that you are able to give us an explanation. If you fail to do so, then I will have to imprison you both."

Lisa's eyes went huge, as did her friends. "What?! Imprison?!"

Natalie stared at him in disbelief. "On what charge?!"

His arms were folded across his chest as he answered without so much as batting an eye. "Spying. For all we know at this point, you could be spies sent from another realm that is intent on invading our own."

She sighed. "We are NOT spies, Koenma."

Lisa looked at her. "Nat... they're never going to believe it..."

The girl looked at her friend for a moment, and then turned to look at the Rekai Tentai. All of their expressions were serious as they looked at the two girls. Then she caught Hiei's intense gaze and let out a sigh. "Then I can think of only one way to convince them."

They blinked and looked at her, as Lisa felt a sinking sensation in the pit of her stomach. "How?" she asked, not sure if she really wanted to know.

"Once I finish giving them the only explanation that we have, as unbelievable as it may sound to them, I will drop the ward around my mind and leave it open to Hiei and his jagen eye." She looked at the koorime. "At the time when my story is completed, I will hold no secrets from you, Hiei. And you can confirm for the others that our story is true."

His expression was at first surprised, but then he let a bloodthirsty smile split his face. "I thought you would come around, ningen..."

Lisa went white, and Kurama cast a glance at her. "Um... Nat? Are you sure that's..."

"It's the only choice that we have. Unless you want to watch me try and fight them when they arrest us for their unfounded accusations of spying. Those are the only two options we have now."

Lisa's eyes went wide and she paled even more. Then she nodded. Natalie was right. There was no way she would be able to fight them off... and even if she COULD, how would they get back to Earth? Neither of them could open up a portal...

_We're fucked_, she thought dismally.

Koenma looked at Natalie pointedly. "Well, then. We're all listening."

She couldn't help but smile. "I've gotta warn you... it's complicated. I explained it to Lisa only minutes before we came here, and I still don't think she quite understands it. And just to tell you now... coming here PHYSICALLY was NOT our intention." She paused, choosing her words carefully.

"All right... you are all aware that there are other dimensions, obviously. I'm not talking about Spirit World, Demon World and Human World either. Those are merely different levels of one seperate world. I'm talking about alternate realities. Places where there are carbon copies of yourselves walking around and going about their own lives. However, in each realm, there are several differences, varying in degree from one dimension to the next. For instance, in one Hiei never acquired his Jagen Eye... or Youko Kurama never took on the form of Suichi Minamino. Or there could be something even more minor. In another realm, right now, there could be another me, talking to all of you, only in that realm Yusuke might just be wearing a different outfit. I'm talking about the different decisions we make in our lives... in one realm making a different decision than someone makes in another dimension. If you take into account all the decisions that a person makes in a day, that already makes millions upon millions of different universes. Are you all with me so far?"

They all nodded, Kuwabara blinking a little. "So... you're saying there's alternate realities out there? And you're from one of them?"

She held up a hand, a little smile coming to her face. "Don't jump the gun just yet, Kuwabara. I'm not even close to finished yet." She cleared her throat. "Alright, now imagine that there are even MORE universes... but ones that are drastically different from the one that you know. Ones that are ruled by magick instead of technology, where space travel is possible and people explore other regions of space, where there is no Spirit or Demon world... even places where the laws of physics are so different from your own that it boggles the mind. Where people breathe in nitrogen clouds instead of oxygen or they can transport from one side of the planet to the other with nothing more than a thought." She crossed her arms. "Now, so far, all that I've told you is at least plausible to your minds, right?"

Koenma nodded. "Yes. However, it has done nothing so far in convincing us that you are other than spies. I suggest you get to the point quickly."

"You've listened to me this long, Koenma. Allow me to finish. And by the way, buckle in your brains, because it gets really weird from this point on." She thought for a moment. "Let's see... how should I put this?" She looked at them. "Each preconceived notion... by that I mean movies, comic books, even animated series... each and every single one of them has their own set of universes, complete with their countless offshoots, derived from the people within making different decisions in their lives. The Megaverse, the acculmination of all those realms, is connected mentally to each creature within its seperate worlds, which is usually the cause of the creation of these shows, and so called 'fictional' works. The reason Lisa and I know so much about you all... is because in our world, you are an animated series."

Their eyes all went enormous and Hiei snarled, unsheathing his sword. "DO YOU HONESTLY EXPECT US TO BELIEVE THAT, NINGEN?!"

Lisa yelped and quickly took a few steps back at his words and the act of unsheathing his sword.

Natalie placed her hands on either side of her head and they flared brightly for a few seconds. She looked at the koorime, who looked set to kill. "My mind is open to you, Hiei. Look into it and you will see for yourself that I am NOT lying."

He frowned deeply as he removed his headband. "If I detect even the slightest deception from you, you will know what it's like to lose your head!!" The eye in the center of his forehead flared brightly as he glared at her. Natalie felt his mind enter her own like a tiger tearing into its prey, leaving not so much as an inch of her mind untouched. His mind was like fire as it penetrated her own and she had to fight to keep from wincing at the intensity of it.

After a moment he pulled back and she was struck by a wave of intense dizziness. She fell to her knees, holding her head. Lisa was at her side immediately. "Are you okay?!"

She nodded. "I'm fine. He went all out with his Jagen Eye. He knows everything about me now from my birthday to the name of my first crush in Junior High." She looked at Hiei who was glaring at her with his intense red eyes. "Well, Hiei? Are we spies? Or was I telling the truth?!"

Hiei scowled and resheathed his sword. "They are not deceiving us. She has told us the truth."

The others looked at him in surprise hearing this, and Kurama turned his attention back to the girls, coming forward to help Natalie back to her feet. "And how is it that you came to be here?"

She smiled. "Well, I thought Lisa must have gone over that with you already, but if you want to hear it from me, then all right." She looked at them. "Like I said, in our world, you guys are a part of an animated series... and a very popular one at that. Naturally, upon learning that your realm truly did exist, the two of us wanted to come here to see it for ourselves. To do this, we employed a technique known as astral projection. It is a technique that allows your spirit to leave your body, and in that state, you can go anywhere, to any time. However, the technique is a mental one, not a physical one. In other words, it is supposed to be impossible to travel physically from one realm to another. What we were intending when we used the technique was to come here and observe, not interact. In fact, interaction is supposed to be an impossibility to those who are in their astral forms, so we thought we'd just come here, take a peek, and then return to our physical bodies back in our world." She sighed. "But, for some reason, the moment we got here, something went wrong, and our physical bodies were dragged from our world to this one... which is supposed to be totally impossible. I still have no idea what went wrong."

Lisa nodded. "And until she DOES figure out what went wrong, we're stuck here."

Yusuke blinked. "Okay... but why were you running from us when we came looking for you?"

Natalie snorted. "Isn't it obvious? Think about it for a minute... me and Lis' know things about all of you... some of which you would deem to be private. Some among you," she cast a pointed look at Hiei, "would not be happy with some of what we know. Knowing this, we decided to stay on the side of caution and try to avoid you for as long as we could."

Kuwabara blinked. "Private things? Like what???"

She cleared her throat. "Private things that mostly concern Hiei in particular, and that I will not articulate on the grounds that he will undoubtedly kill me if I do."

His bloodthirsty smile returned. "Very wise, ningen. See to it that you keep to your silence." He gave the look to Lisa as well. "You as well."

Natalie nodded. "We're not suicidal, Hiei. We know better than that."

Lisa looked around. "So... what's the deal? What happens now?"

Koenma looked deep in thought before he looked at Natalie. "You have no idea why this has happened?"

She shook her head. "I haven't got a clue. I've never heard of something like this happening to anyone before. And unless I can figure out why it happened, I can't even speculate on a way to get us back home."

He nodded thoughtfully and then looked at the two of them. "Alright, I've come to a decision. You two will stay here for a few days until we can make some identities for you on Earth. That way you can avoid suspicion by the authorities down there and live somewhat normal lives until the time comes that you figure out how to get home."

Natalie smiled. "Sounds like a plan! Thanks, Koenma!"

He nodded. "So, since that matter seems to be resolved and Hiei has confirmed for us that the two of you are not spies, I shall have another guest room set up for you as well, Natalie. And I will arrange for someone to show the two of you around the palace." Then he sighed and with a puff of smoke reverted to his infant form. "And now, I have to get back to work."

Once Koenma had left, Kurama looked at Lisa with a small smile on his face. "I now understand why you were unable to explain to me yourself how it is that you knew about us."

She smiled a little sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "As I said, she tried explaining it to me before, and I thought I got it, but it's still a little hard for me to really understand even after hearing it for a second time."

He chuckled. "Well, no matter. Since the issue has been resolved, might I take it upon myself to offer you a tour of Koenma's palace?"

Lisa blinked hearing this and then nodded with a smile. "Sure! I've always wanted to know what the rest of this place looked like!"

Kurama nodded in turn before he looked at the other girl. "Would you like to join us, Natalie?"

The girl blinked and then shrugged. "Sure, why not? It'll pass the time, anyway..."

"Very well. If you would both follow me?"

He started out of the room, Lisa at his side. After casting a last glance at the others in the room, and briefly having her eyes lock with Hiei's fiery gaze, she followed them out of the room.

**Okay, there's chapter six for you!! I need reviews people!! Please tell me what you think!! And in the next chapter, Hiei uses information he now has about Natalie's past to push her buttons and goads her into fighting with him!! Now what's he up to?! Read and find out!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Here's Chapter Seven!! Everyone please read and review!!!!**

**I own nothing except for my own two characters, Natalie and Lisa!!**

Kurama showed the two girls around the palace, including the grounds which were filled with a variety of plants, trees and several koi ponds. The air in Spirit World was fresher than any the girls had ever encountered, much to their delight and great relief.

After the tour had been concluded, Kurama lead Lisa to the kitchens since she was complaining of hunger, and left Natalie to her own devices. She looked around the entrance to the palace where they had left her and frowned contemplatively. Deciding that she really should carefully go over everything that had lead up to their arrival here, and try to determine exactly what went wrong, she decided to head back out onto the grounds to have herself a good think.

She found herself a large tree nestled by one of the larger ponds and she settled down beneath it, sitting so she could look out over the water while she tried to determine what had gone wrong when she and Lisa had come here. Not that it wasn't cool as all hell that they were here or anything, but the two of them DID have family back home, and Lisa had a job that she most likely wanted to get back to as soon as possible.

Natalie sat under that tree for what felt like hours, going over the situation and circumstances again and again in her mind, trying to pinpoint something that might have triggered the transportation of their physical bodies, but it always came out the same.

She didn't have a fucking clue what had happened. She didn't know why they had been transported here physically, and more to the point, didn't have a clue how to get them back.

She sighed heavily and leaned her head back against the tree. Maybe she was just thinking too hard and it was something obvious. But how obvious could something be when there had never been an incident like this one occurring before? By the very scope of this situation, it would seem that there would be something obvious that was the cause, but since she couldn't pinpoint anything in the methods that they had used to come here, it had to be something else.

But what?

She could do nothing but shake her head as she stared out over the water, trying to go over the situation in her mind yet again.

-------------------------

Lisa very graciously thanked the cooks for making their meal for her, complimenting them heavily on their culinary skills, before she joined Kurama by the door once again. He lead her down the hall once more.

"Feeling better now that you have something in your stomach?"

She smiled. "Yes, thankyou."

He frowned a little. "I wonder why Natalie never joined us... you would think she would be trying to spend every spare moment of her time with you now that things have been cleared up."

She shook her head and waved it off. "If I know her as well as I think I do, then I'd bet she's gone off somewhere to try and find a way out of this situation we're in. When she gets to thinking, she likes to be alone. Besides, she knows I'm safe. We've watched you guys long enough to know that you're not going to hurt us now that you know the truth."

He couldn't help but smile a little. "And what an amazing truth it turned out to be." He looked at her. "So... you've watched us fight before... on television?"

She nodded. "Yup. The series itself is called Yu Yu Hakusho. Yusuke is actually the main character and the series started off when he died to keep a little boy from getting hit by a car. It went on from there."

He nodded. "Yes, I've heard of that incident. In exchange for having his life given back to him, he was given the job of Spirit Detective." He cast a glance at his companion and saw her mouth set in a frown. "Is something wrong, Lisa?"

The girl blinked and gave him a smile. "Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking, is all."

He blinked, curious. "About what?"

She looked at him and, although she could have evaded the question, she decided she may as well answer it. It was something that was bothering her, after all.

"Well, I've known Natalie for a long time... and she's always been so sure of herself. It just bothers me that she doesn't know how it is that we're here in the first place. She's the one who got us here, and if she can't think of a way to get us back home..." She blinked. "Not that it's not way cool that we're here physically, you know, now that you guys know how we got here and where we're from and we don't have to try running and hiding because we're afraid Hiei's going to kill us for knowing his secrets and all, but..." She sighed. "I wasn't expecting to be whisked away like this. My Dad's gonna be going out of his mind when my roommate tells him that I've gone missing, and I'm gonna be fired from my job, for sure! I can't even imagine what Natalie must being going through, though. She was just visiting me from out in the country where she lives with her parents. She's still out there with them at her age because they're getting older and she does what she can to take care of them."

He nodded, his features turning a little sympathetic. "I understand. Your family will be worrying about you, and her family will be worrying about her. And in addition to that, she will also be worrying about the well being of her own family, since it sounds as if she takes great care to make sure that they are doing well themselves."

She nodded. "Yeah. I don't know who it would hit harder if we wound up being stuck here permanantly." She shivered at the thought of never seeing her home or family again.

Kurama looked at her for a long moment, and then he placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, giving her his patented smile. "You should not think too much on the matter, as of yet. Right now you don't know if you're trapped here or not. For all we know, Natalie may come across a solution to this dilemma and have the both of you home tomorrow." He started leading her down the hall. "Come. Let's drop this subject for now. Push those worries from your mind. We'll find Yusuke and Kuwabara. If I know them, they're enjoying their usual banter and I know that their immature antics never fail to amuse me."

Giving him a small smile back, Lisa nodded and allowed him to lead her down the hall.

----------------------------------

Natalie was feeling more and more frustrated by the second. She had gone over the scenario for the umpteenth time in her mind, going over every single teeny tiny minute detail of the technique they had employed and had come up with absolutely nothing to explain how they had gotten here physically. It was just totally impossible, and yet here they were. In the Yu Yu Hakusho universe, able to SPEAK with and even TOUCH the characters!! But WHY?

No answer was coming to her.

She moaned and gripped the sides of her head. "Come on, girl, THINK!! What the fuck happened to let us come here physically?! What went WRONG?!"

"I hear it's a bad sign when you start talking to yourself," came a voice from behind her. It was a voice that she instantly recognized.

She sighed. "A sign of insantiy... which I will happily declare myself if I can't figure this shit out!!"

"Hn." Hiei came to stand in front of her. "I notice you put the ward up around your mind again."

She frowned not sure to be annoyed or relieved at this new distraction. "Yeah, so? You already know what you wanted to know from the start, so why would you care if I have it up again?"

He crossed his arms. "I never mentioned this because there was no point to it, but when I used my jagen eye on you to determine the validity of your claims, I noticed that you had a small section of your mind completely and thoroughly blocked off."

She laughed harshly. "Look, Hiei. You know every single minute detail of my personal life now. I wasn't going to let you see the knowledge I have pertaining to magick and the Craft. You're powerful enough and don't need that knowledge anyway."

He smirked. "Yes, and you have quite an interesting personal life, if I do say so. You've had four boyfriends, and two stalkers, one of which you considered a friend before he..."

"HEY!!" She glared at him immediately. "If you came out here to discuss my past relationships, then fuck off, Hiei! I'm not interested in discussing them with anybody, so what makes you think that I would be any more inclined to discuss them with YOU?!"

His smirk grew. "I hit a sensitive topic, did I? Since your experience with the one named Dave, you never could bring yourself to get close to another boy..."

She snarled immediately and was on her feet in an instant. She glared at him, hating his arrogant expression. He was just loving the fact that he had knowledge about her to use to press her buttons, knowing fully well that if she tried to use any of the knowledge she had to counter his own, that his sword would be against her throat before she could blink. "I can see that I'll have to find another place to think in private," she said in a carefully level tone of voice. She walked past him without another word and started back to the palace.

Before she got ten steps away, he appeared in front of her again, his arms still across his chest.

She knew then that trying to get away from him was pointless. She could never hope to match his speed, and he would only continue to cut off her path of escape. Natalie knew she had no choice but to play whatever game Hiei was hatching.

"Why did you come out here, Hiei? What do you want?"

He smirked again. "I couldn't help but notice when I was in your mind, who your favorite character in our show was..."

She laughed harshly again. "Oh, NOW I see where this is going!" She smirked and crossed her own arms, returning his look. "Okay, Hiei. You've got me. You are my favorite character... or you were when I was back home watching you on a TV screen. Maybe I even had a bit of a crush on you. But I should point out that seeing you on a TV and meeting you face to face are two entirely different things. Back home, you had a certain charm and malicious quality that I found endearing. In person... you're a total and utter asshole. Just to put your mind at ease, in case you were wondering if I was planning on making a play for you. Besides, I don't intend to be here long enough to start having any kind of a relationship."

She walked past him again, satisfied that she had gotten her point across.

"Why? Because you're afraid of a repeat of what happened with Dave?"

Hiei didn't have to cut her off this time, because she stopped cold in her tracks at the casual way in which he had said those horribly cruel and hearless words.

"I told you..." she said, barely able to contain herself from whirling and attacking the koorime, "that I have no interest in discussing my personal life with you."

Hiei's smirk grew as he could smell her aggression building steadily. _Yes, my little ningen... let's see you truly enraged..._

"You know that my jagen eye does more than simply allowing me to enter a persons mind. If I concentrate enough, I can have that person do whatever I wish. Not even that little ward around your mind would be able to stand up to that."

"You and I both know that you have more honor than that, Hiei. Don't try to pull this bullshit with me."

He chuckled. "Oh, really? Isn't that what you thought before? Didn't you think that Dave would never pull what he did? Did he not, in fact, promise you verbally on several occassions to never bring you harm, or take advantage of you in any way before..."

She whirled, her eyes flashing murderously at his words. Hiei's smirk turned into a malicious smile. "ENOUGH!! YOU'RE CROSSING THE LINE, HIEI!!! NOW SHUT YOUR FUCKING MOUTH!!!!"

His smile was malicious and bloodthirsty as he continued to look at her unwaveringly. "You think you know me so well... just as you thought you knew him. Did you not consider him to be your best friend before you met Lisa? Such a horrific betrayal you experienced... is it any wonder that even five years later, you still have a difficult time trusting men?"

"I SAID SHUT UP!!!!!" she roared, and her aura flared to life around her.

His eyes glinted in almost eager anticipation as he crouched low in a fighting stance. "Or what? You'll attack me? Then come on, ningen!! Let's see your power, with no one to distract you, and with no fear of harming innocent bystanders!! I DARE you to come at me with everything you have!!"

He felt his smile widen as she wordlessly launched herself at him, accepting his invitation.

--------------------------------

Lisa and Kurama stood off to the side, bemused expressions on their faces as they listened to Yusuke and Kuwabara's verbal argument.

Yusuke snorted. "I think you're setting an impossible goal for yourself, Kuwabara. I mean, how long have you been trying to convince Yukina to go out with you?"

The boy growled. "Listen, Urameshi! It's not impossible, you know!! I just gotta keep working at it!! She'll fall for my charm eventually!!"

The other boy smirked and crossed his arms. "Sure she will... when Koenma switches from Pampers to Pull Ups... right Lisa?"

The girl was struggling not to laugh as she waved her arms around frantically. "Hey, don't bring ME into this conversation! I'm an innocent bystander!!"

Kuwabara, meanwhile, clenched his fists and continued on with the argument. "Hey!! My lady Love will fall for me yet!! Just you watch, Urameshi!! Next week I'm taking her to the cultural festival and..." Suddenly his narrative stopped and his eyes went huge as he whirled. "What the hell?!"

Yusuke blinked, the teasing light in his eyes vanishing immediately. "What's up, Kazu?"

"Natalie's spirit energy just skyrocketed!! It didn't feel this high when she was fighting those demons in the city yesterday..." Then his expression turned horrified. "AAAHHH!!!! SHE'S FIGHTING AGAINST HIEI!!!!"

Their eyes all went enormous now. "SHE'S _**WHAT?!?!"**_

Lisa was freaking out immediately. "WHERE ARE THEY?! WE HAVE TO STOP THEM!!! HIEI COULD KILL HER!!!!"

"They're out on the grounds, and it feels like..."

Lisa shot of before he could finish his sentence.

Kurama was after her in an instant. "LISA!! WAIT!!!"

Yusuke nodded. "C'mon, Kazu!!" He shot off, his friend and rival hot on his trail.

------------------------

Lisa raced out onto the grounds of the palace and looked around. It only took her a half glance to locate her friend who was furiously fighting Hiei. She went to charge for them, hoping to bring the fight to stop, but Kurama caught up with her and quickly held her back.

"Let me GO!!! We have to stop this or..."

"LISA!! If you get between Hiei and his opponent, then he won't hesitate to kill you!!"

"But... Natalie can't fight against someone like him!! She had trouble against those demons in the city and they were weak compared to you guys!!"

Yusuke came to stand beside them, his eyes on the two fighters. He blinked, watching, and frowned contemplatively. "Don't worry. Hiei's going easy on her."

She blinked and looked at him in surprise. "He's what???"

Kurama watched as well and nodded, keeping a firm hold on Lisa's arm in case she tried to run off again. "Yusuke is right. He is blocking her attacks more than anything, even though with his speed, he could easily do more. He is keeping himself defensive more than offensive. I don't know what brought this on, but... I don't think he intends to kill her."

Kuwabara frowned. "What I don't get is that Natalie's aura flared up before Hiei's. In other words, I think SHE attacked HIM."

Lisa's eyes went wide and she looked at him. "WHAT?! Are you sure?!"

He nodded. "Yeah, she's the one who dealt the first blow, all right..."

The girl gaped. "What's she THINKING?! She knows that Hiei's stronger than she is, so why would she even bother trying to attack him? Besides, back home, he was her favorite character!! It doesn't make any sense!"

Kuwabara stared at her. "SMALL FRY was her favorite character?!" He crossed his arms and snorted. "Well, there's no accounting for taste, I guess..."

Then, as they watched, Hiei delivered a hard punch to Natalie that sent her flying. She slammed into the ground a few times before she managed to vault herselt upwards and land back on her feet. She held her jaw and took in a few deep breaths as she glared at Hiei who stood only twenty feet from her, still smirking in that arrogant manner.

"Is that all you've got, ningen?"

She snarled and her aura came to life once more. "Not even close, asshole!!"

"ENOUGH!!!" shouted a voice from off to the side.

All turned and saw Koenma and Botan standing there, Koenma having taken on his adult form as he frowned at them.

Hiei scowled slightly and then simply vanished from sight. Natalie scowled as well and headed for the entrance to the palace.

Lisa broke free of Kurama and came forward then, catching a hold of her friends arm. "Natalie!! What the hell were you thinking?! Why were you and Hiei...?"

"I DON'T WANT TO TALK ABOUT IT!!!!" her friend snarled at her before breaking out of her grip and starting off once more.

The blonde frowned and shook her head. "Oh, no you don't!!" She cut off Natalie again and stood between her and the entrance. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me why you and Hiei were fighting!! If he had wanted to, he could have killed you!!"

She looked at her friend for a long moment, her features still hard. "He brought up Dave, if you must know. And that's all I'm going to say about it!" Then she walked around her friend and vanished into the palace.

Lisa blinked curiously. "Dave?" Then realization came to her and her eyes went huge. "HE DIDN'T!!!!" She shook her head in shock. "Wow... I didn't think Hiei would ever sink so low..."

The three Rekai Tentai looked at her, as Koenma stepped forward. "What is it, Lisa?" asked the son of King Enma.

The girl blinked and then hesitated. "Well... I think I know why she attacked him now... but it's not really for me to tell you. It's not something that Natalie likes others to know, and the only reason Hiei knows is because he used his jagen eye on her earlier today and found the information himself. But I still can't believe that he would sink so low as to dare mention it to her..." She sighed. "Let's just say that Dave is someone that... hurt her in the past. Before she was able to defend herself as well as she can now. I'd elaborate, but if Natalie found out, she'd kill me, best friend or not."

Kurama frowned slightly and Youko spoke up in his mind.

_Then I guess we'll just have to find out what it was ourselves. We can't have Hiei and Natalie fighting like that. Besides, I wanna know just how low Three Eyes sunk to get her to attack him like that..._

_I agree. We'll speak with her about it when she's had a little time to cool off, _Suichi replied.

Koenma looked at the grounds. "Well, at least their battle didn't cause any damage..." He sighed. "Well, so much for a distraction from my work... it was nice while it lasted, though..." He turned, reverting back to his infant form and returned to the palace himself, Botan hard on his heels.

Yusuke frowned thoughtfully and then shrugged. "Well, it's over now, whatever it was. How about we get back inside and have a game of Mahjong? Anyone interested?"

Lisa blinked a little and then smiled a little sheepishly. "Um... I've never played it before..."

Kuwabara grinned and put a hand on her shoulder. "No problem! We'll teach you how! Come on!"

The three of them headed back into the palace, putting the incident between Natalie and Hiei out of their minds for now.

**There ya have chapter seven!! Please tell me what you think!!**

**In the next chapter, Kurama talks to Natalie, trying to determine exactly why she attacked Hiei, and learns about her past!! Who is Dave and why is he such a touchy subject with the young witch? Find out!!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Wow, I'm getting lots of reviews for this story!! Thanks to everyone and please, keep them coming!! **

**Here's chapter eight!! Please R&R!!**

**I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho, as much as I might wish otherwise. All I own are my own two characters, Natalie and Lisa.**

Upon finding George wandering through the hallways, Natalie requested that he show her to her room. The ogre nodded immediately and showed her to a guest room that was only a few doors down from Lisa's. The girl entered the room, quickly thanking the blue skinned and yellowed haired ogre, and shut the door behind her without another word. She cast a casual glance around the room, taking in the decor, and seeing the extravagence that normally would have left her feeling a little awed as it had her friend. But at the moment, she was still too pissed off at Hiei and his bullshit antics to give a shit.

She sat down on the edge of her bed, still fuming from the memory of her encounter with the koorime, and wondered what the hell his problem had been. From watching the series, he didn't pull shit like he had today, and she couldn't figure out why he would sink so low as to bring up a topic he knew was sensitive to her and use it against her in such a malicious and heartless manner. She had played his little game, but she still didn't have a clue what the hell the point of it had been.

She scowled then. So much for HIM being her favorite... and to top things off, his stunt had royally fucked up her train of thought when it came to trying to figure out a way to get herself and Lisa home again. She took in a few deep breaths, trying to calm her short temper, and trying to shove all thoughts of the koorime out of her mind so she could get back to the more immediate concern of returning the two of them back to their own dimension.

She sat there trying to calm herself down sufficiently enough so that she could think rationally once more. After taking in a few more deep breaths and telling herself mentally to forget about Hiei's games for the time being, she started thinking over the current dilemma of her and Lisa's displacement once more.

After a couple of hours had passed, she felt a little of her frustration returning as no answers came to her, just as before. She just couldn't figure out how it was possible for she had Lisa to be here in the first place.

Once again her contemplation was interrupted, this time by a knock at her door. She considered ignoring it, and then sighed heavily, knowing there was probably no point in trying.

"Come in," she called, trying with little success to keep the annoyance out of her voice.

The door opened and she blinked, seeing Kurama step into her room. "Am I interrupting something, Natalie? I hope you don't mind, but I asked George where your room was, and he..."

She shook her head immediately and got to her feet. "No. What can I do for you, Kurama.?"

The red haired boy nodded, closing the door behing him as he turned to regard her steadily with those green eyes of his. "I understand that this is a subject you will not wish to get into with me. However, it is necessary that I ask and that I receive an explanation. I want to know exactly why you attacked Hiei earlier. You mentioned a man named Dave, and..."

Her expression went hard as she held up the index finger of her left hand, cutting him off in midsentence. "Hold it right there. It was bad enough that Hiei had to bring it up. I don't want to get into it AGAIN."

His expression never changed as he regarded her steadily. "I understand that it is a difficult subject for you, but I will receive an answer for this. We cannot have you and Hiei fighting, Natalie."

She scowled now and crossed her arms, turning to face the window leading out to her balcony. "I don't intend to be here long enough for us to have another confrontation, so stop worrying about it!"

"Have you figured out a way for you and Lisa to return to your own world, then?"

She was quiet for a long moment and then sighed heavily, her arms falling limply at her sides. "No. I haven't."

He nodded, although the action was unseen by his female companion. "Then there is still a chance that you and Hiei could have more confrontations. I need to find out why you attacked him, Natalie. You ARE the one who dealt the first blow, and we cannot have the two of you at one another's throats."

She turned, her expression hard once again. "He provoked me, Kurama, so don't make it sound like this was MY fault!" she said, her voice low.

"In what way did he provoke you?" he countered calmly.

She looked at him for a long moment before her expression fell and she sat heavily on the edge of the bed. She sighed in defeat. "You're not going to leave until I tell you, are you?"

She felt his hand on her shoulder a moment later and heard his voice softly reply. "You know me well. And you also understand my reasons. It is illegal for demons to kill humans, and if Hiei uses enough power in a fight against you, he could kill you, even accidently. This issue must be addressed for both of your sakes. Once I know the specifics, I will be able to speak with Hiei to determine exactly what caused him to provoke you in the first place."

She snorted. "You wouldn't mind giving him a good ol' right hook for me while you're at it, would you?"

If she had looked up, she would have seen the first indication of a smile on Kurama's face since he had entered her room. "I guess we'll see. And now, if you would please...?"

She nodded and got to her feet once more. "This... is something I hate others knowing. Other than Hiei, only my immediate family and closest friends are aware of it, so I would appreciate it if you could keep what I'm going to tell you to yourself."

He nodded. "If you wish it, then I shall."

She sighed heavily. "I was a lonely kid growing up. Throughout elementary school and junior high, I didn't have any friends at school. In fact, until Master Yamaguchi moved in next door to us and started teaching me how to fight, I was bullied more than anything else. Then, once I started learning how to defend myself, the other kids just stayed away and wanted nothing to do with me. I don't pretend to know why I was singled out as I was, and quite frankly I'm beyond caring. That aspect of my life is ancient history and I probably wouldn't care for any of those kids who went to my school to be my friends anyway. But at the time I was craving friendship more than anything else, and I finally got it from an unexpected source when I was twelve years old."

"My father introduced me to Dave... a man who he worked with at the time before my Dad retired a few months later. He was 25 years my senior, but we shared many of the same interests. It wasn't long before we were almost inseperable friends, which may sound strange, but it felt absolutely natural at the time. He spent every spare moment he had with me, and we'd talk, go shopping, and once I got a little older, we even went on camping trips together." She cast a meaningful look at Kurama. "And just to let you know right now that there was absolutely NOTHING romantic involved in our relations... it was strictly a friendship thing, at least from my point of view." She shook her head. "But I was young, stupid and sadly naive. All I knew was that I had a friend and that he would listen to me when I needed to talk, and he would do things to try and cheer me up when I felt like shit. To me, nothing else mattered.

Her gaze turned away from him, and her stomach twisted slightly when she reached the next phaze of her story. "I was seventeen when everything went wrong. At the time, although I knew how to fight, I had never fully trained myself to increase my strength, and didn't focus much on the chi aspect of martial arts. And, although I had been involved in the Craft for two years by that time, I had only dabbled in it a little, and hadn't decided to make it my absolute path in life as of that point. Dave brought me out camping in BC (AN: British Columbia) for a weekend in the summer. It was all good at first. We went fishing and sight seeing, and I did a little drinking, all things that I'd done with him before, and so I thought it was just going to be another camping trip and nothing struck me as being odd or different from my previous times camping with him. Two nights into our trip, I had two drinks one night. Just two beer... something that should have hardly affected me." She snorted. "I didn't see him put the tablet into my second beer bottle before I started drinking it."

Kurama's eyes widened slightly hearing this, and he had a sinking sensation he knew exactly where this was going.

"Before I even knew it, I was paralyzed. My entire body was completely limp. I was feeling very light headed and I was going in and out of consciousness. All I know is that each time I came to... every time I opened my eyes... Dave was on top of me."

After a moment of silence, she snorted. "I didn't know what to do when he brought me home the next day. He just continued on as if nothing had happened and he told me the would see me in two weeks. A week after the trip, I visited with my sister in the city for a few days. She and I hung out, and she let me get drunk. One night while I was there, she started talking to me, as she had done on several occasions before, about how she didn't like Dave and how she thought it wasn't good for me to be hanging out with the likes of him. She never did like him, and never did approve of my hanging out with him in the first place. She always was a better judge of character than I was... at least until I finally delved deeply into the Craft and developed my abilities. But that night, as she was lecturing me, I finally broke down and told her what had happened." She smiled a little wanely. "To say she was pissed off at Dave would be an understatement of epic proportions. She was ready to get her husband to drive out to where Dave was working up north and casterate him herself. Instead, what wound up happening is she phoned up Mom and Dad, and told them what had happened herself."

"The next day, my father brought me to the doctors to see if I had contracted anything from him. Thankfully, all tests came back negative. Unfortunately, whatever drug he had used on me was out of my system by that time, so we didn't have much evidence. We spoke to our family lawyer and he told us that if we were to try and charge him, all we would be able to get him with was providing alcohol to a minor, which would only give him a hefty fine. So the fucker was never charged with anything."

"He had the audacity to show up as he had told me he was going to do, and my father personally got rid of him for me. He told him that if he ever came near me or anyone else in our family again, that he was personally going to kill him. So Dave left without a word and I've never seen him again."

Kurama sighed heavily when it became evident that her story was now completel. "I'm... sorry, Natalie. I wish there was something I could do or that I could say..."

She shook her head. "Don't worry about it. The worst of it all is that once all was said in done and he was finally gone... looking back, I could see that all the signs were there. But at the time I was too stupid to see them for myself. Sis saw them before me and she hardly spent any time with Dave at all. She told me often enough that something about him just made her skin crawl, but I didn't listen to her. I had to learn the hard way. And since that night, when I finally started dating guys and started trying to get involved romantically with them..." She snorted. "I've gone out with four guys since the incident and none of the relationships have lasted longer than three months... all because I can't relax whenever a man tries to touch me. Even now, five years later, I have a hard time with it."

Kurama frowned from where he sat on the bed. "Hindsight is a curse, as well as a blessing, in that you can see the mistakes you've made, but you can also see that which you thought you should have seen as the events were unfolding. You were not stupid, in any sense of the word. You were simply lacking in experience to see the signs for what they were. The fault for your experience does not lie with you, Natalie. The fault lies only with the man who took advantage of a lonely child seeking companionship."

She nodded. "I know that," she said quietly.

He cleared his throat slightly as he got to his feet. "And now... although I am now almost hesitant to ask... if you could tell me what it was that Hiei did to provoke you?"

The scowl was back on her face immediately at the mention of his name. Her arms folded across her chest as she remembered her encounter with him once more, her attitude back in a rush. "He brought up Dave in the first place, which was bad enough, but then, upon pointing out that he knew that he was my favorite character back in our world, he told me that he could reproduce the exact same effects as the drug Dave used on me with his jagen eye if he chose to do so!"

Kurama's eyes went wide, hearing this. "He WHAT?! Hiei did that?!"

She nodded. "Yeah... knowing I would blow my stack, obviously, but I don't have a fucking clue WHY he wanted to provoke me in the first place. He kept taunting me with the information he had and when I tried to get away from him, he blocked my path! He wouldn't leave me alone!"

Kurama frowned deeply now. "I will speak with him and see if I can learn anything to shed light on why he would use such extreme measures to anger you. It is not like Hiei to do something like that."

She frowned and nodded. "Yeah... I thought stuff like that went against his honor code."

Kurama allowed a bit of a sheepish smile to come to his face. "Hiei's sense of honor is very... complex. I know he never does things without a reason, even if that reason may not seem immediately clear. I will get to the bottom of this for you, Natalie. Have no fear of that."

She nodded. "Alright. Thanks, Kurama. And please, just remember..."

He nodded, knowing what she was going to say before she could finish uttering the sentence. "I will not repeat what you have told me to anyone else. You have my word."

"Thanks."

He inclined his head to her respectfully as he left her room without another word and went on a search for a certain koorime.

---------------------------------

Kurama found Hiei twenty minutes later, in one of the trees on the grounds of the palace, his hands placed behind his head as he looked out over the River Styx.

"Hiei, we need to talk," the kitsune said, his voice leaving no room for argument.

"Hn. So talk, Kurama," he said, his voice casual.

His eyes narrowed slightly. "I just spoke with Natalie about the fight, and I want to know why you provoked her. And not only that, but why you used such a underhanded and cruel tactic that you did! You had no right to reopen old wounds, and use such a sensitive subject to anger her! And the insinuation you made, comparing your jagen eye to the drug used against her in the past, was simply disgusting on your part! What the hell were you thinking? It isn't like you to use such cruel methods in your dealings with others!"

Hiei shrugged easily. "I wanted to see what she was capable of."

The kitsune blinked in surprise hearing this, and then he frowned deeply. "You were inside her mind, so don't try telling me that you don't know what she was capable of, Hiei! Not to mention you know she was failing miserably in the fight against those demons yesterday, or do I need to remind you of the day she spent in the medical wing?!"

"She wasn't using her full capabilities in that fight, for one thing, and for another, she had the portion of her mind that had her magickal knowledge blocked off securely in a small corner of her mind when I used my jagen eye on her earlier today. My eye was unable to penetrate it because it was very tightly locked away."

Kurama stared at him. "What do you mean she was...?"

He snorted. "Hn. Didn't you notice the difference between her aura when she had been fighting in the city compared to when she was in battle with me? In the city she never used her full fighting power to fight them off, because she was worried about possible hurting some of the few humans that were in the area, nestled inside the buildings. In addition to that, she was distracted trying to keep Lisa safe at the same time as she was fighting them off. She was also concerned that using her full power might inadvertedly bring harm to her friend, due to Natalie's inexperience in using the techniques in fights. She's never had to use them in that manner before. Yesterday was her first time fighting against demons."

Kurama's frown lessened slightly as he contemplated this information. "So you wanted to test her, is what you are saying?"

He nodded. "Yes. Because she had the magickal portion of her information blocked off from my mind probe, I didn't know what methods she knew, and wanted to find out for myself. Unfortunately, Koenma's intereference in our fight brought it to a stop before she used any of them against me. I had no intentions of actually hurting her."

He frowned again. "But did you have to use such a disgustingly sensitive subject as you did to get her to attack you?!"

The koorime smirked. "Perhaps I did go overboard with that one, but it did have the desired effect. I wanted her to be enraged, and it worked. Although her power isn't nearly enough to stand up against me, she does have impressive skills... for a human, that is."

Kurama shook his head. "She is not at all impressed with you, Hiei. And you do realize that you were her favorite out of the four of us until you decided to pull your stunt."

He shrugged. "Whatever. Do you honestly expect me to care? I couldn't care less what she thinks of me or of my tactics. You wanted to know why I provoked her, and so now you know. Is there anything else you wanted from me, or are you finished now, Kurama?"

The kitsune sighed. "As you wish, Hiei. But I warn you... do NOT use such tactics again. You said yourself that she is unpracticed in using her magickal techniques in battle and if she were trying to use one and she failed at a critical moment, you could kill her, intentions aside. I'm certain you know what Koenma would have to say about that. And if you try fighting her again, I may feel inclined to step in myself. Just a warning to you now, Hiei. Goodnight to you."

Kurama turned and left the koorime where he was on his perch. Hiei simply snorted and took up his position again, looking out over the River Styx.

**And there you have chapter eight! Please tell me what you think everyone!!!**

**In chapter nine, Natalie learns of Hiei's intentions, and later that night has another visit from the koorime!! Will it result in another fight or does Hiei have another reason for his visit this time? Read and find out!!!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay, here's chapter nine! Thank you for all your reviews so far and please keep them coming!!**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho... just Natalie and Lisa.**

Natalie's eyes were wide when Kurama finished tellingher what he had learned from Hiei.

"WHAT?! THAT'S why he was being such an asshole?! You know, if he wanted to fight with me, he could have just ASKED!!"

Kurama couldn't help but smirk a little. "And would you have revealed any of your magickal techniques had he merely asked you to fight with him? Or would you have used your normal fighting skills and chi techniques?"

She sighed. "Touche. But even when he was being a brick, and goading me into attacking him, I still wasn't planning on using the techniques. Using magick when you're angry or in an otherwise unstable state of emotion is dangerous because your energies are scattered and you're not thinking clearly. In addition to the fact that I've never TRIED to use them in a fight before, it would make it all the more dangerous. As Hiei pointed out to you, until yesterday, I never fought against demons before. I've never used my magick in a fight. I sure as hell wasn't going to do it while I was angry, because it could have caused damage to Koenma's grounds, which I'm sure he would have just freaked over, AND because it could be dangerous to ME, too. Hiei went about it entirely wrong."

Kurama frowned slightly in contemplation. "Apparently Hiei was not aware of that. If you had your magickal knowledge blocked off from his mind, then that information would have been locked away as well."

She sighed, understanding now that it was a misunderstanding on Hiei's part that had brought this on, but still... "I still think it was low how he got a rise outta me..."

The fox demon smiled gently. "He acknowledges that he may have gone overboard with his tactics, if that helps at all."

She frowned quietly for a long moment and then sighed. "Whatever. It's over and done with now, so there's no point in dwelling on it."

Kurama nodded. "I figured you deserved to know Hiei's reasoning, considering the manner in which he treated you. I think I'll return to Lisa, Yusuke and Kuwabara to see how their games of mahjong are coming along."

She nodded absently. "Yeah. Thanks for clearing things up for me, Kurama."

He gave her a gentle smile and inclined his head respectfully. "It was no problem. I will speak with you later. I leave you now to continue with your contemplations. Good night, Natalie."

She nodded. "Yeah. Good night."

When the kitsune left, she sat herself down on her bed with a sigh. She was now over her initial anger over Hiei's stunt, but not over her anger toward Hiei himself. The days events had left her feeling more than a little tired and uptight. She shut off the lights in her room, and climbed into her bed, taking in a deep breath as she tried to get to sleep.

---------------------------

Lisa yawned as she, Kuwabara, and Yusuke finished off another game of mahjong. Yusuke stretched.

"Yup... I think it's about time for me to turn in..."

The girl nodded in full agreement as Kurama entered the room. "Me, too. It's been a long and stressful day."

The kitsune stepped up to her and gave her a gentle smile. "You're heading off to bed, Lisa? Would you allow me to escort you to your room? It's on the way to my own..."

She nodded before he could even finish talking. "Sure! I think I'd need a guide, anyway. I'm still having problems finding my way around this place."

His smile grew a little. "Yes, it does take a while before you get used to the size of it." He gave Kuwabara and Yusuke a nod of acknowledgement as he turned and started off.

"Good night, Yusuke! Good night, Kuwabara!" Kristi said as she quickly followed, falling in step beside the kitsune. If there was one character she could never get too much of hanging around with, it was him. He was, undoubtedly, her favorite in the series.

He started up a conversation as they made their way through the labyrinth of halls. "I spoke with Natalie. She told me about Dave."

Lisa blinked in surprise. "Wow... she actually told you?" She frowned a little. "How'd you manage to get that info outta her? Usually just mentioning that asshole's name sets her off on a rampage..."

"Which is exactly what Hiei's intentions were. He wanted to fight her to test her abilities himeself... most specifically, her magickal abilities. Apparently she had the information regarding her magickal knowledge locked away securely from Hiei's jagen eye when she opened her mind to him earlier."

"Hmm... well, I guess in a way that DOES sound like Hiei... but I still can't believe he used the methods that he did. I mean... he had to know that even MENTIONING Dave would hurt her. It's not like Hiei to sink so low..."

Kurama nodded, deciding it would be in the best interests of all concerned if he refrained from telling Lisa the specifics of what Hiei had said to set her friend off. "He acknowledges that he went overboard with that aspect of the encounter. But I wanted you to know that he never had any intentions of harming her."

She considered. "Well, that's good, I guess... but I still think he went about it totally wrong."

"I think he may have had other motives than what he initially told me. Although I cannot even begin to speculate on what they might be. Hiei is very... complicated in his way of thinking."

Lisa snorted. "You can say that again... and it's not like he voluntarily shares what's on his mind."

"Very true. He does keep to himself." A moment later, they were at Lisa's door. "Well, I suppose this is where I will leave you for the night." He inclined his head to her. "Have a good sleep, Lisa."

She smiled a little. "You too. Good night, Kurama." She entered her bedroom and closed the door behind her.

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Natalie tossed and turned, her dreams filled with memories of the night Dave had betrayed her trust. The feelings of helplessness and utter heartbreak she had experienced at his sudden actions returned to her, full and sudden. She woke up, sitting bolt upright, a light sheen of perspiration beading her forehead.

She looked at the clock on her bedstand and saw that only a couple of hours had passed wince she had first gone to bed. She sighed, and then scowled in disgust.

"Great," she muttered. "Like I needed THIS on top of everything else. Thanks a lot, Hiei."

"Hn. If I'd known my strategy was going to affect you this deeply, then I would have opted for a different course of action."

Her eyes went wide, hearing the voice and she saw Hiei now, standing right in the doorway that lead out onto her balcony. She snarled and scrambled out of her bed, glaring at him immediately. "What the FUCK are you doing here?!"

He snorted and came the rest of the way into her room. "Relax. I'm not here to attack you or to coax you into attacking me. I was passing by your room when I sensed your discomfort due to your dreams."

She scowled at him. "Yeah, dreams brought on because you decided to be a fucking dick and bring up Dave today!!"

He half sighed, half growled. "Listen, ningen. I'm going to say something to you right now, and if you tell the others what I'm going to say, I WILL kill you!"

"You have no right to..."

"I'm sorry."

"... tell me what I'm..." Natalie's eyes went huge. "You... huh???"

He snorted and crossed his arms, adverting his gaze to an empty corner of her room. "You heard me and I will not repeat it again."

She stared in complete shock. Had HIEI... just... apologized??? To HER??? She blinked a few times, trying to assimilate this, and then frowned a little.

"Okay, what are you up to? I've never heard of you apologizing to ANYONE, much less to a woman that you hardly know!!"

Hiei snorted. "I was inside your head, ningen, so you can't say I don't know you. And besides, after speaking with Kurama, I figured I did go a little overboard with my tactics."

Her frown deepened. "A LITTLE?! From my point of view, the stunt you pulled was the equivalent of an army sending off an A-bomb to kill a single man! And I hate to break it to you, but your strategy wouldn't have worked anyway. I don't use magick when I'm angry, if I can help it at all, because it's dangerous to me and in battle, it could be dangerous to others, too. Not to mention Koenma would have personally killed me himself if I caused damage to his grounds. In other words, you went about it WAY wrong!"

He smirked. "Well, if you hadn't had that information locked away at the time that I used my jagen eye on you, then I wouldn't have made that mistake."

She stared at him for a long moment, and then sighed. "Look... can we PLEASE not have this discussion right now? It's late, I'm tired, and I need some sleep."

He shrugged and nodded. Then he reached up and removed his headband, exposing his third eye. He took a few steps toward her.

Natalie's eyes went wide and she took a few steps back. "What are you doing?!"

"Hn. Relax. I don't intend to hurt you. If I use my jagen eye on you, I can give you a dreamless sleep instantly. Unless you want to keep reliving your experience tonight?"

She rose an eyebrow critically, looking at him. "And why would you care what I'm dreaming about? Why would you do that for me?"

He scowled. "Just consider it compensation, all right? You don't even have to take your ward down for me to do this, since I won't be looking into your thoughts. Now just lay down, ningen, so I can do this and leave!"

She hesitated for a moment, looking at him and contemplating his possible motives. Was it possible that he actually WAS sorry? She snorted mentally. Well, stranger things had happened. And one thing she DID know about Hiei was that she had never seen or heard of him lying. Avoiding or bending the truth, yes. But not lying.

She sighed and headed back to her bed, lying down once more. "What the hell."

Hiei came up to the side of her bed and placed his fingers at her temple. Her eyes were on him, and she was a little apprehensive. She saw Hiei's third eye glow a soft blue, and then the world spun away from around her, and she felt her eyes sliding shut. Before she even knew it herself, Natalie was in a deep and dreamless sleep.

**Okay, there's chapter nine!! Please R&R!! I want to know what you think!!**


	10. Chapter 10

**I'm so sorry for the long wait!! The story's coming along slowly right now because I'm really busy and have been under some stress lately. I'll try to update my other stories sometime in the next couple of weeks.**

**Anyway, here's chapter ten!!**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho... Just Natalie and Lisa.**

Natalie had quickly eaten breakfast and vanished directly after the next morning. She had hardly said a word and tried to avoid looking at Hiei, but she couldn't help but cast a few glances in his direction over the course of that morning, wondering what the hell had gotten into him the night before.

Then she scowled to herself. There was no reason for her to delve on the matter. As soon as she got Lisa and herself home, she wouldn't have to worry about Hiei any more. All she had to do was figure out HOW she was going to get them home.

She sat down under the same tree she had the day before and very slowly and carefully went over every single minute detail of her techniques once again, even though she by now knew it was futile. She had used the techniques hundreds of times before, and had done absolutely nothing different, and nothing that could have caused her and Lisa's odd displacement into the Yu Yu Hakusho realm. So that meant that it wasn't the technique itself that had gotten them here physically. So it had to be something else. But what?

She knew that each realm tended to have its own set of rules and physical laws, so it was probably one of those that had gotten them into this situation. She wondered briefly if Koenma would indulge what those rules were to her, and then she snorted. There were probably so many laws and rules here that it would take her months to learn about them all and analyze them from every angle, taking them into consideration with her technique of astral projection. And the way her luck had been running, she wouldn't be surprised if her searches just lead up to another dead end.

Natalie blinked, and then realized that she had five people approaching her... Kurama, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Lisa, and Koenma. Then she blinked again, making the number six when she felt Hiei's aura in the tree branches above her head.

Kurama's eyes were a little concerned, although he kept his gentle smile in place. "Good afternoon, Natalie. Have you had any revelations yet? You have been thinking on this situation since you got here. We thought we would come and see how you are doing."

She blinked a third time and then sighed. "Well, all I managed to figure out so far is that it wasn't my technique itself that caused this situation. It couldn't have been. I've used the technique hundreds of times before and nothing like this has happened to me before, and I've gone over our journey here and couldn't find anything that I did differently. It's when we entered this realm that everything went wrong."

The kitsune looked at her. "You mentioned that different realms can have vastly different laws..."

She nodded. "That's just what I was thinking. But knowing how many laws this place probably has, it could take me months to look through Koenma's records, even if he was willing to let me look through them. I have a feeling many of those records are confidential, meant only for the eyes of high ranking officials, am I correct?" she asked, looking squarely at the prince of the Reikai.

The prince sighed and nodded, much to her regret. "Unfortunately, you are correct. If I let you look even in one of those records, my father would ensure personally that I wouldn't be able to sit for the next hundred years." He shivered at the facing another of his fathers infamous spankings.

She let out a sigh. "Which means, I'm stuck for the time being. I can't figure things out if I can't research possible aspects of this realm that may have caused our displacement."

Lisa's expression immediately turned borderline devastated, and Kurama placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. The girl was ready to have a complete breakdown at the thought of being stuck in this realm forever, and so far, it looked like this just might turn out to be the case.

Yusuke frowned deeply. "Man, that sucks! There's gotta be something you can do!! Something you can look up!"

Kuwabara sighed. "What do you expect her to do, Urameshi? It's not like this is something she can just up and look up in a book or something!"

The moment the words were out of Kuwabara's mouth, Natalie perked up, and her eyes went wide. "Look up... in a book?" Her expression turned inward as she quickly thought back on something and in that instant, to the confusion and surprise of the others, a smile spread across her face and she bounded to her feet, launching herself at Kuwabara, throwing her arms around him. "Kuwabara, you GENIUS!!!! I could KISS YOU!!!!"

Kuwabara turned bright red hearing this as the girl pulled away. He scratched his head. "Um... you're welcome?"

Hiei was now standing there, his impassive expression in place, his arms across his chest. "Hn. I can't believe that she called the baka a genius."

Lisa blinked and looked at her friend, a small measure of hope returning to her eyes. "Natalie? What's going on?"

Her friend beamed at her happily. "The Akashic Records!! I could gain access to them and find our answers from them!!"

Yusuke blinked slowly. "The... what records???" He looked at Koenma who looked just as confused as the rest of them.

She grinned. "Think of it as the Megaverse's Book of Answers. It's like an encyclopedia filled with endless knowledge. You can go to the astral realm and ask it any question that you want!"

Lisa looked at her friend. "Have you ever looked in it before?"

She shook her head no. "Nope. But I know the technique to gain access to it. The only problem is that the method will leave me completely drained of my energy."

Kuwabara blinked. "Uh... why would you get drained from reading a book? I know I have problems with reading sometimes, but..."

The girl snorted, holding back a laugh. "This book isn't a physical manifestation, Kuwabara. They couldn't make a physical book large enough to contain all the knowledge this thing does. And as to why I'll be drained... it goes back to a universal law... if you want something, you have to give something. In this case, I have to pour my energy into the book constantly as I try to gain access to the information I'm looking for. Depending on how long it takes me to find the information, I could even lose consciousness by the time I'm done. Also, because of that small detail, this is going to have to be done differently than your standard astral projection. I'll be wide awake. No lying down this time."

Lisa was barely able to contain her excitement. This meant that Natalie could find the reason they were stuck here and find a way for them to get back home!! "Well, what are you waiting for?! Go for it!!!"

Natalie grinned and held up her hands. "Hold up there, angel. I have to go over the technique in my head. Remember, this is going to be my first time doing it, and the last thing I wanna do is fuck it up. I wanna go there, get my answers, and come back. The sooner we do this successfully, the sooner I'll be able to think of a method to get us home. I'll try it in a couple of hours." She looked at Koenma. "May I use your courtyard to do this, Koenma?"

He nodded. "I see no reason why not... so long as the technique will not damage my grounds."

"You don't need to worry about that. Thanks!!" She looked at them. "I'm heading to my room for an hour or so to get the details of this straightened out in my mind. Then I'll come back out here and we'll do it!" The girl started off toward the palace without another word.

Kurama looked down at Lisa who seemed to be teeming with excitement and hope. He gave her a gentle smile but couldn't help it as his and Youko's thoughts turned inward. At this point in time, Natalie was just going to find out what it was that caused their displacement. That didn't necessarily mean that she would be able to use that knowledge to get them back home. If it was one of the laws of their world that got them here in the first place, it might not be possible to use that law to their advantage and return them to their own home. Kurama, of course, kept these thoughts to himself, not wanting Lisa to worry. He thought it would be best to leave her to her happiness and enthusiastic attitude for the time being. They would wait and see what happens. After all, his contemplations could be completely off the mark. He knew next to nothing about the magickal practices that her friend indulged herself in, so it was possible that she might be able to work around such laws after all.

-----------------------

Natalie sat in her room for forty minutes, going through the technique she was about to apply in her mind. Once she had every single minute detail worked out in her mind, she nodded to her self and slowly got to her feet. She headed out of her room and headed down the hall. She met with the others in Koenma's office, and they blinked, seeing her expression. She nodded at their unasked question and left the room, heading for the grounds outside of the palace. The others wordlessly followed.

Once they were in the courtyard, Natalie turned to them. "Okay, I'm not sure what you guys are going to see, but no matter what, DO NOT approach me until I'm finished. I'm not used to this technique, so it will take me a few minutes to get myself into the right state of mind and meditative state to pull it off, so don't be surprised if I just stand there and look stupid for a few minutes, okay?"

They all nodded and she took in a deep breath before moving about twenty paces away from them, and stood still, looking out over one of the koi ponds, her back to them. A moment passed and they saw just a brief shimmer of some sort of shield go around her, and she stood silently.

The moments passed slowly for them all, until a light blue glow slowly came into view just over the surface of her skin. The blue glow pulsed slightly and then expanded forth about a foot from her body. Then it dissipated and her aura exploded around her unexpectedly, the force of it hitting them with a light breeze.

Her energy swirled around her sporadically, resembling a small tornado. They saw a bright flash of light above her head, followed by another one a few moments later, and then her energy waned and died. Natalie let out a gasp and fell to her hands and knees, taking in lungful's of air. When Kurama saw the strange shield barrier shimmer once more and fade, he took that as all the indication he needed that she was finished and raced forward.

He was at her side seconds later. He could tell that her energy was significantly drained, but thankfully, it was not so drained that she would lose consciousness as they had feared it might. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "Natalie, are you all right?"

The second she turned her face to him, the kitsune knew that her news wasn't going to be good. Her face was pale and her eyes almost looked dull and lifeless. But she managed a barely perceptible nod.

When Natalie saw Lisa approaching along with the others, her features bright and filled with hope, she winced, wishing she had lost consciousness.

"So, what did you find out? When do we get to go back home?"

Kurama helped Natalie get to her feet as Lisa asked this question. The girl was a little shaky on her feet due to the loss of her energy, but otherwise seemed to be okay physically. Natalie couldn't bring herself to look at Lisa at first.

"We... don't." she said quietly.

Yusuke and Kuwabara blinked. "What do you mean?" they asked as one.

Lisa's smile faltered. "We... don't? What does THAT mean?"

The girl let out a huge sigh and then forced herself to look at her friend. "It means exactly what it sounds like. The whole reason this happened is because we entered this realm in our ASTRAL form. We left our physical bodies back in our own realm, and that broke one of the laws in this realm. You can't be in spirit form unless your body exists or DID at one point exist in this realm. So what happens when two spirits enter from another world? BAM! This world compensates for the broken law by dragging our physical bodies right along with us."

Kurama went over to Lisa as her expression started looking a little strained. "But... if that's true, doesn't that mean that we can just use the same technique to get back...?" she trailed off when Natalie shook her head sadly.

"Our world doesn't have that law. We would only be there astrally, unable to communicate with anyone that we know. There's nothing that I can do to get us back. Lisa, I'm sorry, but we're stuck here... for good."

All of them were stunned to hear this, but Lisa, surprisingly was the first to break out of her silence. Her expression turned from shocked to enraged in seconds, and then she strode forward purposefully. To the growing shock of the Rekai Tentai, Lisa's fist slammed into Natalie's jaw, and the shorter girl fell to the ground, holding her wound.

Kurama quickly restrained her when she looked like she was going to keep going.

"YOU BITCH!!!! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!!! YOU TALKED ME INTO THIS AND NOW BECAUSE OF YOU WE'RE TRAPPED HERE!!!!!! I HATE YOU!!!!!" Then she twisted out of Kurama's grip and shot off into the palace.

"LISA!!!" Kurama took off after her an instant later, casting a half glance down at the girl who was slowly starting to sit up.

Kuwabara came forward and helped Natalie to her feet. The girl's eyes were downcast, and the psychic could tell that it wasn't just her energy that was drained. "Uh, hey... You okay, Natalie?"

The girl said nothing for a long moment, and then she let out another sigh. "I'm going to my room. I need to be alone right now." Her voice was quiet and slightly shaky, and she walked off without another word, her steps slightly shaky.

Nobody was aware of the look a certain koorime was giving her as she slowly made her way into the palace.

-----------------------------

Lisa just ran through the palace towards her room, tears streaming down her cheeks. Natalie's words kept repeating themselves in her mind, both of her recent revelations, and her reassurances before they had even left to come to this realm.

_"Nothing can happen to you while you astral project, Lisa. Trust me, I've done this a hundred times before..."_

_"We'll just go there, take a peek and come back..."_

_"There's nothing I can do to get us back. Lisa, I'm sorry, but we're stuck here... for good..."_

_"...stuck here... for good..."_

_"...stuck here... for good..."_

_"...for good..."_

Lisa flew into her room and just fell half onto her bed, kneeling on the floor as the dam burst and she started sobbing uncontrollably.

_"...we're stuck here... for good..."_

Those words kept repeating themselves over and over in her mind, and she kept remembering those same reassurances from before the start of their journey to the Yu Yu Hakusho realm. How nothing could hurt them, how astral travel was perfectly safe, how they would be back home in no time at all, and that it was just going to be like a cool little vacation with no consequences.

BULLSHIT!! LIES!!! HOW COULD SHE LIE TO ME LIKE THAT??!! she screamed in her mind as she continued to sob.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been there when she felt a warm hand settle on her shoulder. She started slightly and looked up, her blue eyes meeting a sea of emerald that were filled with great concern. Kurama was knelt down to her level, his hand settled on her right shoulder gently. Lisa didn't hesitate for an instant. Before the kitsune knew it, he had his arms filled with a sobbing and trembling young woman.

He held her back immediately, fully anticipating this action from the young woman. She gripped the front of his shirt and sobbed into his chest, the odd hiccup coming between the sobs.

_'She's still a child... the poor thing...' _Youko said, watching through Suichi's eyes.

_'Yes, I truly wish there was something I could do myself to get her and her friend back to their world... or something that would make her feel better, but...'_

_'Just keep on with what you're doing, Red. This is all she needs right now.'_

He nodded wordlessly, and then decided that they had best find a more comfortable placement. He gently scooped her up into his arms and settled down on the bed, leaning upright against the headboard as the girl from another realm was curled up in his lap, still crying in his chest. He said nothing to her, sensing her grief and anger, and knowing that comfort was the best thing he could do for her right now.

It took nearly an hour before her sobs tapered off to the odd shudder, and then finally, she just laid against him, her death grip on the front of his shirt loosening. Kurama looked down at her as she made no movements and saw that he was sleeping. He wondered, briefly, if he should lay her down on the bed and leave her to get some sleep, but Youko spoke up before the thought was even half finished.

_'Don't you dare!! Do you have any idea how long it's been since I've had the pleasure of feeling a woman pressed up against me like this? Besides, moving her might wake her up and I'm sure you don't want that, now do you?'_

_'But I'm sure she won't be too impressed if she wakes up later in the position we're in right now...'_

_'Hey, she wasn't complaining when you took this position up in the first place, was she? Besides, I think she'd like knowing that you stayed with her even after she fell asleep.'_

Suichi sighed_. 'Perhaps, but... What about Natalie? I'm sure she's feeling just as bad, if not even worse than Lisa right now... She was the one who convinced Lisa to come with her...'_

Youko shrugged it off. _'Let one of the others help her out. Yusuke and Kuwabara might be idiots sometimes, but they're not heartless.'_

_'...I suppose you're right.' _Kurama continued to unconsciously run his fingers up and down Lisa's back as he let her sleep up against him.

---------------------------------

Natalie, for her part, slowly entered her room, filled with an enormous sense of loss and helplessness. Not to mention the guilt of having gotten Lisa and herself into this situation in the first place.

She slowly shut the door behind her and before she even knew it, she was standing on the balcony overlooking the palace grounds. She just stood there staring out at the beautiful scenery, not really seeing it, and then she felt a sudden surge of frustration and anger seep through her. She whirled, both of her hands clenching into fists. She almost lashed out with her left hand, but switched to her right at the last moment, punching a marble pillar as hard as she could. She heard a sickening crunch with the action and for a few moments her anger subsided as delicious pain undertoned her emotional hurt. She had left a crack in the pillar, but her hand was completely mangled. The shattered bones in her hand were sending shock waves of pain up her arm that she barely felt after a couple of minutes. She wondered if her hand would ever be the same again.

Who gives a fuck? she thought to herself.

Absently holding her now crippled hand, she slowly wandered back into her room. Standing at the foot of the bed she stared off into space for a moment, the days events replaying themselves over in her mind. She remembered Lisa's last words to her.

_"YOU BITCH!! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!! YOU TALKED ME INTO THIS AND NOW BECAUSE OF YOU WE'RE TRAPPED HERE!! I HATE YOU!!!!!"_

_"I HATE YOU!!!"_

_"I HATE YOU!!!"_

Natalie slowly slid down to the floor as she felt the grief and guilt overcoming her anger and frustration. Hot tears suddenly formed rivers down her cheeks as she started to sob.

Had her mind not been otherwise distracted, she might have sensed Hiei, who was standing on the balcony in silence, watching the young woman.

He elevated an eyebrow when he sensed the ward around her mind fluctuating, her intense emotions stealing away her concentration.

He felt her emotions coming through to him, and was actually more than a little surprised when errant thoughts jumped from her mind and into his own.

_"How could I have been so stupid? I should have come alone to this world to make sure it was safe!!"_

_"It's my fault!! It's all my fault!! Because of me, Lisa is trapped here too!! I never should have convinced her to come!!"_

_"Why is this shit happening to me? What the fuck did I do to deserve this? How could I have forgotten about the different laws of the different realms? I should have consulted the Akashic before I even made the journey!!"_

_"She hates me now... Lisa hates me... Fuck, I can't blame her, right now I hate myself..."_

Hiei sighed, experiencing one of his rare moments of sympathy as he came in off the balcony and approached the girl who was still crouched on the floor crying. He was standing only a foot or so from her, and was growing just a little more concerned when she didn't seem to notice his presence at all. NOT a good sign.

Natalie's thoughts were awash with guilt and grief as she continued to sob, completely unaware of her surroundings.

"Hn. Lisa doesn't hate you. She's just upset right now. Her words were said out of anger at the situation itself, not anger toward you."

Natalie's head jerked up at the familiar voice and was surprised to see Hiei standing in front of her, only about a foot away. She looked at him silently for a long minute before she forced herself to look away.

_'Great... as if my day wasn't bad enough, now Hiei of all people, is watching me cry. If he didn't think I was pathetic before, he'll think I am now...'_

"Stop it, Onna!!" he snapped at her, a little irritably. "Wallowing in self pity will not help you right now. And I don't think you're pathetic. You're human, that's all."

Her expression turned to shock again in an instant. It was only then that she realized her ward was down. She tried to reinstate it, but gave up when her erratic emotional state kept interfering with her attempt. Not to mention she was completely exhausted as it was from viewing the Akashic Records. She realized at that point that she didn't really care if Hiei could see into her mind anymore.

She was startled out of her thoughts when she felt a warm hand gently settle on her right hand. She took in a sharp breath through her clenched teeth as Hiei knelt in front of her and examined the remains of her right hand.

It didn't take Hiei long to discover from looking through her mind exactly why her hand was in its current condition. Somehow her actions didn't really surprise him. He knew she wasn't feeling energetic enough to go to the medical ward to get it treated. Her energy was drained, and her emotional state was currently highly erratic, so there was little point in trying to talk sense into her at the moment. He thought, fleetingly, about carrying her to the medical wing, but brushed it off an instant later when he knew it would do nothing more than set her off on a rampage.

He sighed inwardly. He had one little known secret, and it looked as if this onna was about to learn it.

Natalie was about to give the koorime an earful about touching her hand, when she was startled into silence when he unexpectedly lifted her up into his arms.

"Um... what are you doing???" she asked a little warily. She wasn't able to keep herself from flushing with his sudden action.

Hiei didn't answer her as he then took up much the same position as Kurama had earlier in the night with Lisa. He leaned against the headboard with Natalie sitting in his lap. The woman was currently redder than Kurama's hair and he could sense her confusion coming from her in droves. He then took a hold of her right hand once again and pretended to examine it closely.

"Hn. Stupid Onna... you shattered every bone in your hand."

She said nothing and couldn't seem to bring herself to look at him.

He had a hard time suppressing a smirk as his tongue unexpectedly contacted her skin, over a nasty looking cut on the side of her hand. Natalie let out a gasp of surprise at this action and she looked up in shock. Hiei wordlessly indicated her hand, and she blinked, her eyes almost popping out of her skull when she saw the cut he had just licked heal itself before her eyes.

She was unable to keep the awe from her features as she looked at him. "You can... heal?"

He nodded. "Hn. I do have the koorime's ability of healing, although it is difficult for me to tap into the actual energy itself. I have to do healing the hard way, through my saliva, since the blood of my father is dominant." He smirked at her. "You look surprised. I thought you knew everything about me, onna."

She blinked in surprise, and then ALMOST managed a small smile. "I guess I don't know as much as I thought." she said quietly.

He continued to smirk as he continued working on her hand, gently giving her wounds small licks. She felt a shiver race up her spine at this contact. She wanted to ask him why he was doing this for her, but thought better of it. Why possibly bring this to an end for no other reason than to satisfy her curiosity? She was currently in a position any Hiei fan would kill for, and she decided to just enjoy it while it lasted.

She felt a dull ache in her temples and knew that her emotional state was responsible. Her eyelids grew heavy and before she even realized it, she had her head against Hiei's chest as her eyes slowly slid shut.

----------------------------

Hiei almost fell off of the bed in shock when he felt Natalie rest her head against his chest. He probed her mind for a few seconds and was further shocked when he found the woman was asleep!! He was motionless for a long moment, contemplating this new development, before he finished off healing her mangled hand and set it down beside her.

He started to get up, intending on setting the woman down on the bed and leaving for the night, but he sensed unease in her mind and quickly settled down once more. He knew if he got up she would wake up as well. He cursed loudly in his mind and tried to think up a way out of this situation.

He was further stunned when the onna against him nuzzled in closer, her formerly mangled hand coming up to fist in his jacket.

_Fuck, it looks like I'm staying here the night, _he thought with a growl.

----------------------------

**Please R&R!!!! I wanna know what you think!!! THANKS!! **


	11. Chapter 11

**I'M BACK!! I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO sorry it took me so long to update!! I'm just starting to transfer my stories from our old computer on to our new one and I just downloaded Open Office from this site last night!! I'll be updating my stories from now on, but I'm not sure how long it's going to take. If it takes a few days, please, PLEASE be patient with me!! I have many more chapters for this story alone, so I hope you'll all bear with me!!**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. Only my own characters, Natalie and Lisa.**

Only a few hours had passed when Lisa became aware of the fact that she was pressed up against another warm body, the arms of which were wrapped securely around her. Her head was leaning against a lean but muscular chest and she could do nothing but bask in the warmth for a few long moments before her mind came fully awake.. The memories of what had happened before she fell asleep flashed through her mind and she cringed slightly, her eyes opening as she looked up in surprise. Kurama's face was only inches from her own, and she found herself lost in a sea of emerald once more.

His face filled with concern as he continued to gaze at her. The girl felt a wave of heat go through her face, still fully aware of the arms wrapped securely around her.

"Are you feeling a little better now? You've been sleeping for the past three hours."

Lisa's embarrassment was gone in an instant as she remembered the incident that had caused her to be in this position in the first place. Her gaze turned downcast when she felt tears brimming her eyes again. "Um... a little... I guess."

Kurama looked at her for a long moment before he gently tilted her head up with his finger and looked her in the eyes. He could see the unshed tears within them and smiled at her gently. "You don't need to lie to me, Lisa. If you still need to cry, then do it. I'm not going to leave you in such a state."

Lisa tried to hold back her tears again, but was unsuccessful. As the first tears started forming rivers down her cheeks, Kurama pulled her close once more, laying her head against his chest while she cried. He hushed her gently as she cried and, upon glancing out the windows, saw that the sun was starting to set. He waited patiently, still holding the sobbing woman as her crying tapered off, and continued to hold her for a few more moments once she was done.

He started to talk softly. "I know you probably don't have much of an appetite right now, but I think it would be best if you got something to eat. We can talk more in the kitchens, if that's all right with you."

She hesitated and then nodded. Food was the last thing on her mind right now, but she guessed that the kitsune was right. She did need to keep her strength up. "I guess I should get something to eat..." Then she hesitated. "How's Natalie?"

"I'm not sure to be perfectly honest. I'm certain that one of the others is probably with her though, so I would keep your worries about her from your mind for now. We can talk more about her later. Now come." He pulled away slowly and gave her his most winning smile. It almost turned into a smirk when he saw her face redden once more. "Let's get you a bite to eat."

She didn't bother resisting as he led her out of the room.

--

Kuwabara looked at Yusuke hesitantly as they made their way down the hall. "Are you sure this is a good idea, Urameshi? I mean, Natalie said she wanted to be alone..."

The Spirit Detective rolled his eyes. "You know absolutely nothing about women, do you? No wonder you and Yukina aren't getting anywhere. Trust me, she wants someone to talk to, maybe a shoulder to cry on. Kurama's taking care of Lisa, so she'll definitely be okay, but Natalie's the one who convinced her friend to come here in the first place, so she's probably feeling like absolute shit about this entire situation.

Kazuma sighed. "I guess." He headed toward her door and got ready to knock when a familiar voice popped into both of their minds.

_If the two of you dare open that door, I will run you through with my sword. The onna is sleeping and if you wake her up right now, I'll kill you,_ came the voice.

Kuwabara's eyes went enormous. "HIEI?! What the hell are you doing in her room, shorty?!"

_That is none of your concern. Just leave now, Kuwabaka. Natalie is going to be fine._

Yusuke blinked and then looked at his companion with a shrug. "I guess someone beat us to it. Let's go."

Kuwabara stared at him as if he'd grown another head. "Are you NUTS?! You just wanna leave her alone with Hiei after all the crap that's happened between the two of them?!"

Yusuke rose an eyebrow. "Hey, if she had any objections to him being with her, don't you think the whole palace'd know about it by now? Let's just get a bite to eat and leave the two lovebirds alone."

_Say that again, Detective,_ Hiei's voice cut in, promising death. _I dare you._

Yusuke grinned. "I'll say it again when you're not cuddling your little woman there, Hiei. See ya." He turned and started off, but not before Hiei got in the last word.

_You're so dead._

_--_

Lisa and Kurama were in the kitchen again, the girl trying to eat with little success. She had managed to get a few bites down, but was picking at her food more than anything else. This, of course, did not escape Kurama's notice, but the kitsune decided to leave the matter be for now.

He gave her a gentle smile ."Are you feeling better?"  
Her lips barely quirked in response. "I think so. Thank you."

There were a few long moments of silence and the kitsune finally broke it, broaching the subject Lisa was trying not to think about.

"You cannot stay angry at Natalie, Lisa. Surely you realize that this cannot be blamed soley on her," he said gently.

She blinked, her eyes looking up for the first time in almost a half hour. "But..."

"Lisa," Kurama said with a small sigh. "Did Natalie force you to come here, or did she merely invite you to join her?"

Lisa hesitated. "Well, of course she didn't _force _me, but..."

"Then it was ultimately your decision to join her. She merely gave you the invitation, correct?"

"Well, yes, but she promised me that..."

"... that nothing would happen? And, indeed, she was merely speaking from her own past experiences, and so honestly believed that nothing _would_ happen. There is no way Natalie could have foreseen this, Lisa. And I believe that right now, she is just as upset, if not even _more_ so, than you are. As you mentioned, she did invite you to join her and it was her idea to go on this trip in the first place, so she is undoubtedly blaming herself."

Lisa considered his words for a moment and then let out a heavy sigh. "You're right. I should go apologize to her. She was probably feeling bad enough without what I said to her."

The gentle smile was back on the kitsune's face as he continued looking at her steadily. "I imagine you're right. However, I suggest that you leave it for the morning. Natalie drained a lot of her energy looking through the Akashic, and will likely sleep straight through the night. And you have had a long day and need your rest. Why don't I make you a calming tea to help you go to sleep and we'll return to your room?"

The girl across from him managed the bare trace of a smile and nodded silently.

Kurama summoned one of his plants and proceeded to brew a tea for Lisa, and then the two of them went back to her room.

The kitsune stayed with her as she sipped her tea and its effects started to take hold. The girl didn't want to be alone tonight, but was unsure how to broach the subject with Kurama without it sounding like she was making a play for him.

Almost as if he was reading her thoughts, he looked at her in concern. "Would you like me to remain with you tonight, Lisa? I could even hold you as I did earlier if you like. I know you probably don't want to be left alone tonight, after the day that you've had."

Lisa's blue eyes went wide hearing this offer and she turned red as she looked up at him in surprise. "You... you'd do that... for me?"

Youko stepped forward to take partial control of Suichi. He pulled his lips back in a mischeviously seductive grin as he looked at her, and was immediately rewarded when the girl went a few shades redder.

Lisa saw that his green eyes were now heavily flaked with gold, and combined with his current expression, she knew that Youko was about to speak.

"Why, of course _we_ would, Lisa. I quite enjoyed the feel of you in my arms earlier. I'm sure Suichi did as well, though you may be hard pressed to get HIM to admit to it..."

Lisa suddenly found the floor to be very interesting as she felt yet more blood rushing to her head. "Well, um, I _would_ really appreciate it after the day I had..."

_So very innocent,_ Youko thought, his grin widening as he approached her. She was still very red and had not yet taken her eyes from the floor.

Lisa was taken very much by surprise when Kurama quite seriously swept her off her feet and into his arms. Looking up at him in surprise, she gulped when she saw his eyes were now completely golden, and he now had a mischevious smirk on his face.

"You better behave yourself, Youko!" she said, trying to sound brave, but she couldn't keep the quiver out of her voice.

His smirk widened and when he spoke, she saw two fangs. "Now why would I want to do that, Lisa? There are so many methods I could use to distract your mind with..." Before he could continue, his expression turned strained and his eyes turned to their gentle green once more. Kurama smiled at her sheepishly. "I apologize for Youko. I can assure you, he will behave himself. You have no cause for concern." He headed for the bed, once more leaning against the headboard and holding Lisa close to him. The girl was still very red and possibly a little wary, but the combination of her stressful day and the tea left her feeling utterly exhausted, and she fell asleep in seconds. Once she had dropped off, Kurama placed his chin atop of her head and soon followed suit.

--

Natalie felt very safe and secure, leaning against a _very_ warm surface, and felt two strong arms holding her close. She smiled contentedly and nestled in closer, a small pleased noise coming from her lips. She felt the arms tighten around her slightly. Whoever she was leaning against was simply radiating heat and she was absolutely basking in it. She was about to go back to sleep when her thoughts caught up with her.

Radiating... heat?

The events from the night before flashed through her mind and she looked up with a start, her eyes going wide. A set of red eyes were looking down into her own and before she could stop it, she felt her face heat up.

_HIEI!!_

His arms were still holding her securely as he looked down at her. When he saw her face turn bright red, he was only barely able to keep himself from smirking in amusement. Instead, he kept his face impassive as he looked down at her.

"You... stayed with me all night?" she asked quietly.

He broke eye contact with her and looked at the wall across from the bed. "Hn. I _tried_ to leave, but you started waking up. I decided it would be for the best if I didn't move."

She couldn't help it as the thought entered her mind. _He... held me all night. That's so... sweet..._

His eyes were back on her in an instant. "That's a word no one has dare use to describe me before," he said, allowing a small smirk to come to his face.

Natalie's eyes went enormous and her face flushed a dark red once more. "You... read my mind?" Then she suddenly realized. "SHIT!! My ward's still down!" Hiei wordlessly released his hold on her as she scrambled out of his arms, having only a brief feeling of regret as his warmth left her, and she quickly reinstated the ward around her mind. She sighed in relief when she knew that Hiei could no longer look into her thoughts. The demon vacated the bed and looked at her impassively once more.

"Hn. You should get something to eat, onna. Now that I'm no longer burdened with you, I'm going." Before she could even think to say something in response, he simply vanished from sight.

The girl didn't even notice his choice of words, as she was still trying to comprehend the fact that she had pretty much _cuddled_ with Hiei for the entire night. On her _bed._ Not to mention the fact that right before falling asleep the night before, the last thing she remembered him doing was licking her hand. Her blush darkened to a shade that would have made Lisa proud.

Then she stubbornly shoved all those thoughts from her mind and decided to take the koorime's advice. She left her room and headed for the kitchens.

**In the next chapter, Natalie and Lisa meet up again. Please, review, everyone!! The next chapter will be up soon, I promise!!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, everyone!! Here's chapter twelve!! Please tell me what you think!**

**I own nothing except for my own two characters, Natalie and Lisa. **

Lisa woke up in the arms of the kitsune once more, and this time morning sunlight was streaming in through her window. Kurama gave her a gentle smile that grew when he saw her face redden slightly.

"Good morning. Did you sleep well, Lisa?"

The girl tried to fight off her blush with little success as she nodded a little shyly. "Yes. Um... Thank you... for staying with me."

He gave her a nod, his smile still in place. "The pleasure was mine. Now, shall we head to the kitchens for breakfast? Then we could go to Natalie's room and the two of you can... talk."

Lisa fidgeted a little uneasily at the thought of seeing her friend after the way she had screamed at her, not to mention HIT her, the day before, but she nodded. The sooner they put this behind them the better. She slowly pulled away from her companion, almost hesitant to leave his warm, secure hold.

The girl and kitsune headed down the halls, on to the kitchens. When the two of them opened the door and stepped into the room, they stopped in their tracks, seeing someone sitting at the table, picking at her food.

Natalie looked up with wide eyes and stood up with a start, her chair almost falling backward when she saw Lisa and Kurama standing there.

Sensing Lisa's tension immediately and fearing she might bolt, Kurama placed a calming hand on her shoulder. He smiled at the dark haired girl reassuringly. "It's all right, Natalie. She is no longer angry at you. Why don't we sit down and talk?"

As if to confirm the kitsune's words, Lisa gave her friend a small, awkward smile.

She hesitated a moment longer, and then sat down with a nod. Kurama retrieved two more chairs and the two of them joined Natalie at the table.

Lisa hesitated a moment and then let out a small sigh. "Natalie... I'm sorry about yesterday..."

"Don't worry about it," she said quietly. "I probably would have done the same thing if our positions were reversed. Besides, you were right. I _did_ talk you into coming here in the first place."

"But it was my choice to go with you. I'm as much to blame as you are." She took in a deep breath. "Let's just forget about it and... try to get on with our lives."

The young witch seemed to hesitate for a moment and then gave Lisa a nod and a small smile.

Kurama decided to speak up then. "Did you sleep well last night? If you like I could brew you up some tea to help you get some more sleep. I know you were drained of your energy, but your emotions were running high and..."

She waved it off. "I slept fine."

The kitsune sighed in relief. "So one of the others helped you then? Which was it? Yusuke or Kuwabara?"

Lisa blinked slowly when she saw her friends face turn red... something that she didn't get to see too often.

"Neither of them," Natalie said hesitantly.

Kurama blinked. "Koenma? Botan?"

She took a deep breath and turned a shade redder. "Hiei."

The kitsune and Lisa's eyes bugged out of their heads in shock. "WHAT?!"

"_Hiei_ kept you company?" Lisa asked increduously.

She nodded again. "All night." She cleared her throat and hesitantly told them what had transpired after Lisa had raced off into the palace the night before.

Lisa's expression was so shocked it was almost comical. Her eyes were still bugging out of her skull and her mouth was hanging half way to the floor.

Then Kurama's mouth quirked. "Well, I never thought I would see the day when Hiei would be drawn to a human in such a way."

Natalie stiffened slightly and then frowned, crossing her arms. "Hey, maybe it was just his way of making up for being an asshole," she said with absolute certainty.

_But then he made up for being an asshole by getting me to sleep the night before,_ a voice whispered in the back of her mind.

Kurama smiled in his mysterious way, but didn't argue with her. "You may be right." He looked at his companion. "Shall we have the chefs make us some food, Lisa?"

The girl nodded in relief at the change of topic and stood to follow the kitsune to hunt down the chef. A few moments later they returned, each holding a plate of food. The three of them ate in relative silence.

Natalie still picked at her food more than anything else, although she did get a few bites out of it, and Lisa managed to eat about a quarter of her food. Kurama was just finishing off his own plate when the door opened and Botan came in, a look of relief on her face.

"There you are! I've been looking all over for you," she said. "Koenma wants to speak with you. He made up identification for you girls and is trying to figure out what should happen next."

Kurama nodded easily and got to his feet. "Thank you, Botan."

Natalie and Lisa also got to their feet and followed the ferry girl and kitsune out of the room and down the halls to Koenma's office.

He was in his toddler form, George at his side. The ogre came up to the girls and handed them each a manilla envelope that held their new identification. The rest of the Spirit Detectives were present as well. Natalie cast a half glance at Hiei before forcing herself to look away and found herself fighting off another blush.

"We now have no more worries about people viewing you suspiciously, and have taken the liberty of giving you 500,000 yen each to get you started off. However, now the question is, where will you girls be staying?"

The two girls exchanged a look and both shrugged. Evidently, they had no idea.

Kuwabara considered. "Well, I'm sure sis'd be willing to let one of them stay with us, once I explained about them."

Yusuke had a strained expression on his face. "There's a spare room at MY place, but... I don't know how they'd get along with my mom..."

Lisa grinned. "I wanna meet Eikichi and Shizuru!"

Natalie hesitated. "I _think_ I could handle Atsuko..."

Koenma smiled broadly and clapped his hands together. "Excellent! That's what we'll do then! Lisa, you'll stay with Kuwabara, and Natalie, you'll stay with Yusuke!"

The girls exchanged another look and simply shrugged again.

Koenma looked at Botan. "Open up a portal to Ningenkai for them, Botan. I think the girls would like to get settled in."

The blue haired reaper nodded, her ever present smile on her face. "Of course, sir!" She opened a portal with a wave of her hands and motioned the two girls and Spirit Detectives to go on through. "I'll be seeing you when you have another mission!" she called after them cheerfully.

Moments later the Rekai Tentai were walking down the street with the two displaced girls. Hiei took to the trees and rooftops immediately.

Kuwabara grinned at Lisa. "After I introduce you to my sister, we'd better get some clothes for you."

The girls both moaned. "Great, clothes shopping," Natalie grumbled. "I HATE shopping for clothes."

Yusuke grinned. "Never thought I'd hear a girl say that..."

Lisa scowled a little herself. "She's not alone. I'm not a huge fan of clothes shopping myself. Let's just get it over and done with."

Kuwabara seemed to sigh in relief. "Well, at least we won't be stuck there for half the day while you girls are trying on clothes... at least I hope we're not..."

The girls exchanged another look and shook their heads as one. "I pretty much know what I'm gonna be getting already. I might try on one or two outfits to make sure I have the sizes right, but that's it," Natalie said.

Lisa nodded. "Me too."

Kurama smiled. "Well, let's get you girls to Kuwabara's and Yusuke's places to see if Shizuru and Atsuko are willing to take you in, and..."

Yusuke snorted. "Mom'll probably be too drunk to care or notice. I know she's not going to make a fuss about Natalie staying there."

Natalie cast him a somewhat wary look. "Is she still going on drinking binges for days at a time like when you were fourteen?"

He let out a sigh and nodded. "Yup. Wait till you see some of the guys she takes home with her."

The girl rolled her eyes and shrugged. "Oh well. It'll just be kinda like staying over at my... sisters..." She trailed off and quickly shook it off. Kurama cast a concerned glance in her direction, hearing the sad note in her voice.

"Yusuke!" called out a voice from behind them. Turning, the six of them saw Keiko racing up to them. The moment she got close to him, he gave him a slap across the face. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?! I HAVEN'T HEARD FROM YOU IN THREE DAYS!!"

Natalie and Lisa both grinned broadly. "It's Keiko!" they said as one, causing the girl to turn to them in confusion.

"Um... do I know you?"

Yusuke smiled in relief. "Keiko, this is Natalie and Lisa, and they're the reason I've been held up in Spirit World for the past three days." He and the others filled her in on the girls and their circumstances... including the fact that they knew about them and the reasons why.

Keiko looked at the girls increduously. "You mean... I'm a cartoon character?"

Natalie rolled her eyes. "You're only _portrayed _as one in our dimension. I'll explain how it works to you later. Right now we're on our way to Kuwabara's place to make sure it's okay for Lisa to stay there. I'll be staying with Yusuke and Atsuko until we can come up with better arrangements. After we're through with that, we're off to buy some clothes."

Keiko brightened immediately up on hearing this and everyone had a feeling of dread in the pits of their stomachs. "Oh! I'll go with you then! I've been meaning to get some clothes for a while now!"

Kurama smiled at them all gently. "Well, shall we continue?"

They reached Kuwabara's home about five minutes later. Shizuru blinked in surprise and gave Natalie a look that told them all that she sensed the energy within the young witch. Then they all sat down with her and explained the situation, asking if Lisa could stay with her and Kazuma for the time being.

The woman lit up a cigarette and shrugged. "I'll ask about that whole being a cartoon character thing later, since I have a feeling it's just going to lead to another long drawn out explanation. I have no problems with it. She can stay here if she wants."

Lisa sighed in relief.

Yusuke grinned. "Great! Now that that's settled, let's get that shopping over and done with."

The girls were led to the mall and Keiko immediately dragged the two girls to all her favorite clothing stores. The girls looked at some of the clothes on display and winced. Keiko had grabbed several shirts and skirts off of the racks and was going into the changerooms.

Natalie looked at Lisa. "Let's get out of here and find a clothing store more our style before she gets out and tries to get us into a flowery skirt or something."

Letting out a shudder, her friend nodded and they all left Yusuke to suffer with his girlfriend as they went into another clothing store.

The girls quickly went through the racks. Everything Natalie got was dark, ranging from dark blue, purple and black. The only color she had in her wardrobe were a few shirts that were a dark red. Lisa opted for blue jeans, T-shirts, and sweatshirts. She also got a few pairs of cargo pants. They all noticed that Lisa's attire were usually baggy, while Natalie opted to have clothes that were usually snug and more revealing. Then they got themselves their undergarments and paid for their purchases. As they had said earlier, each girl had only stepped into a changeroom a couple of times, much to the relief of their male companions.

They then stepped back into the store where they had left Yusuke and Keiko and saw the Spirit Detective waiting outside one of the changerooms with a somewhat pissed off look on his face. When he saw the two girls were finished, he sighed in relief.

"Keiko, Natalie and Lisa are finished with their shopping! I've gotta get Natalie home. If mom's actually home, I've gotta explain things to her, okay?"

There was a small sigh from inside the changeroom. "Okay, but I want to go see a movie with you tomorrow, okay? And no running off this time!"

Yusuke grinned. "You got it! See you later, Keiko!" He quickly exited the store along with the others and let out a huge sigh of relief. He wordlessly relieved Natalie of most of her packages. Kuwabara did the same for Lisa.

The carrot top grinned at his rival. "Well, I guess we're splitting up now. See you later, Urameshi!"

He nodded. "Yup. Later Kuwabara!"

Natalie and Lisa each gave each other waves as they followed the others off. Kurama accompanied Lisa and Kuwabara while Hiei seemed to have simply vanished from sight.

Yusuke looked at Natalie a little sheepishly. "I've gotta warn you, our place is pretty messy. I love her, but she's not exactly Mother of the Year or anything."

The girl at his side snorted, holding back a laugh. "I know. I could try cleaning it up for you guys a little. I mean, I have to pull my weight somehow."

Yusuke shrugged, indicating he didn't really care either way.

When they got to his apartment, she saw the mess in person. Garbage bags and random bits of paper littered the floor, along with numerous emptied bottles, boxes and stacks of books and magazines. Lying down in front of the television, a bottle of sake in front of her, was Atsuko. She cast a glance over at them as they walked in and then blinked, seeing Natalie. She seemed to forget her soaps for a few moments.

"Hey, who's the girl? Don't tell me you're cheating on Keiko, Yusuke?"

The punk rolled his eyes. "That's what you think anytime I bring a new girl into the house. This is Natalie, one of the reasons I've been gone these past three days. I notice you've been holding up fine on your own," he said, looking at their surroundings in obvious distaste.

The woman snorted. "Whatever. So who is she exactly? And why have you been gone for these past three days?"

Yusuke smirked. "Turn off the TV and we'll tell you."

Atsuko, curious in spite of herself, decided she could just finish watching her show on another channel later. She shut off the television and sat with Yusuke and Natalie at the kitchen table and listened to their story. Then Natalie explained to Atsuko exactly how it was possible that she was a cartoon character in her world.

"And now she and Lisa need a place to stay since they're stuck here. I volunteered our place for Natalie and Lisa's staying with Kuwabara. You mind?"

The woman shrugged. "I don't care. But if I catch you kissing her, I'll pop you one."

Natalie snorted. "Yusuke's nice, but not my type. Besides, I don't go for guys who've got girlfriends."

Yusuke nodded in agreement. "I'm quite happy with Keiko."

The woman got up and sat back down in front of the TV, her drink in hand. "I'm back to my shows. You show her to the guest room."

He rolled his eyes again. "Yes, Mother of the Year," he grumbled. Then he looked at Natalie and motioned for her to follow him, picking up her shopping bags for her once again. He led her to a room that had a bed, nightstand and a dresser. A large window was right across from the dresser, beside the foot of the bed. She could see a large tree outside of it. The room was just as messy as the rest of the home, but she didn't complain. "This is it. Just toss the junk wherever you want and make yourself at home."

She nodded. "Okay. Thanks, Yusuke. I'm going to unpack and then do you mind if I use the shower?"

He shrugged. "Knock yourself out... once I'm done with it." He left her shopping bags down on the floor and exited the room.

Natalie proceeded to unpack her new clothes and, after cutting off the tags, put them in the drawers. Then she proceeded to pick up the garbage that littered the floor of her new room, putting it into a plastic bag she'd found stuffed under her bed. She tied the bag and left it by the front door to be taken out later when Yusuke came out of the bathroom.

He gave her a large grin. "It's all yours. Towels are in the cabinet."

She smiled at him. "Thanks." She went into her room again, getting some clothes out of the drawers, and then proceeded into the bathroom, immediately undressing and hopping into the shower. Once she was clean, she quickly dried off and got dressed in a pair of skintight jeans and a low cut black shirt. Seeing a brush on the counter, she quickly used it in her hair and left the bathroom. She returned to her new bedroom and started to wipe down the dresser, getting rid of the grime and remnants of old spills that had stained the top and trickled down the sides.

She felt a set of eyes watching her and she turned to see Yusuke standing in her doorway, arms crossed and a mischevious smirk on his face.

"So, why don't you tell me what's going on between you and Hiei?" he asked, an almost malicious humor in his voice.

He was rewarded almost immediately when Natalie's face turned bright red. "What are you talking about? There's nothing happening between us!"

His smirk turned into a grin. "Oh, really? How come he was in your room last night in Rekai? Me an' Kuwabara were about to see if you needed anyone to talk to, but Hiei stopped us telepathically and threatened to kill us if we came in there and woke you up. So you can't tell me there's nothin' going on there..."

He was rewarded further when her blush darkened, despite her efforts to stop it. She sat down on the edge of her bed as Yusuke came the rest of the way into her room and shut the door behind him.

"I'm not sure why he did it, but he did, okay? Yes, you're right. He stayed with me all night last night, but that doesn't mean that there's anything happening between the two of us."

The Spirit Detective sat beside her on the bed. "So spill. What exactly _did_ happen after you went into the palace last night? And don't spare any gory details either! I've been dying of curiosity since me and Kuwabara were sent on our way by Hiei."

She rolled her eyes. "I just _know_ you're going to make a huge deal out of this, but okay..." She took a deep breath and proceeded to tell Yusuke everything. She told him how she had punched the pillar, breaking every bone in her hand, how she had had her subsequent breakdown, how Hiei had made his presence known, examined her hand, picked her up and set her in his lap on the bed, how he had healed her hand (she was bright red talking about _that_ particular detail with Yusuke, who was now grinning broadly), and how she had then fallen asleep... while still sitting in his lap.

Yusuke started roaring with laughter. "I don't believe it! Hiei's got the hots for you! I can't believe I was right and he actually _was cuddling_ with you!"

She turned an even brighter shade of red. "Oh, cut it out! It could be that he just felt sorry for me!"

"If ya say so." Then he blinked. "Why are you in denial? I thought he was your favorite character. That's what Lisa said, anyway..."

"I'm not in denial! I'm being realistic! This is Hiei we're talking about. The last time I checked, humans weren't exactly at the top of his liking list. Much less human _females._"

He shrugged, his face now serious. "Hey, he was in your mind, wasn't he? Maybe he saw something in there that he liked."

That made Natalie pause. She remembered how Hiei had proven to her that she didn't know _everything_ about him, and that made her wonder just how much she _didn't_ know. Was it possible that Yusuke was right and that Hiei was attracted to something he had seen in her mind? The thought of it made her flush and she felt a strange tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach. Just imagine if... The tingling turned into a mild heat and she quickly shook her head to clear her thoughts once more.

Yusuke started roaring with laughter again. "Oh, boy. You've got it bad for him, don't you? I can smell your arousal and he's not even in the room!"

She turned even redder hearing this, suddenly remembering that Yusuke was now a Mazoku and had a demon's sense of smell. She was thankful that Hiei wasn't here at the moment. She would never have lived it down.

"Oh, stop it already!" she said, her face blushing madly. "Just drop it, alright? Please?"

Still chuckling, Yusuke nodded and put a hand on her shoulder. "Okay, I'll back off. If anything happens between the two of you, it happens." Then he looked at her, only a bare trace of mischief in his expression. "So, why don't we try to fix up this apartment a little?"

Greatly relieved at the change of topic, Natalie nodded, a smile coming to her face.

**Okay, Chapter thirteen should be up tomorrow!! Please read and review!!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Okay, here's chapter thirteen!!**

**I own nothing but my own characters, Natalie and Lisa.**

With Kurama's help, Lisa had managed to finish putting away her clothes. She only had a couple of formal clothes that she had hung up in the closet (she didn't think she'd ever wind up wearing them, but you never really could tell). Kurama then helped her pick up her room some since Kuwabara and Shizuru, although they weren't as bad as Atsuko, weren't exactly the best housekeepers in the world.

Lisa's room was rather sparse. All there was was a bed and a small dresser with a mirror. Once the kitsune and herself were satisfied with the cleanliness of her room, Kurama smiled at her.

"Well, I would stay, but I should head back to my apartment now. I haven't had a chance to call my mother since I've been in Rekai for the past few days."

She smiled at him. "That's okay. I can handle things now. But thank you for everything that you've done for me these past few days," she said, turning a little red as she rubbed the back of her head. "I would have been an absolute wreck without you."

Kurama continued to smile at her and, sweeping his hand through his hair, he brought forth a seed. Using his power, he revealed that it was the seed of a red rose. He briefly smelled it delicately, and handed it to her. "A little something to help brighten up your room. And the pleasure was mine, there is no need to thank me. You are quite good company, actually." His smile turned into a slight smirk when the girl before him turned bright red.

_She's just adorable, Red,_ Youko purred. _I would love to see just how far down that blush of hers can go._

Although Kurama silently had to agree, he said nothing. He gave Lisa a small bow, and turned to leave her room, saying a brief goodbye to Kuwabara and Shizuru as he left their home.

--

Natalie was back in her room, flipping through a mystery novel that she had found on one of the shelves in the living room. Yusuke was currently on the phone talking quietly with Keiko. He hung up and stepped into the girls room, giving her a smile.

"Hey, Keiko asked me to come down to her family's restaurant and have some lunch with her. You wanna come?"

She considered. "Maybe I could visit for a little bit, but I think she wants to spend some one on one time with you. You did just get back from a mission after all. I'll just stay long enough to explain a few more things to her, and then I'll go exploring."

Yusuke shrugged. "Sure. Let's head out before Mom goes on another one of her escapades."

Natalie cast a glance at Atsuko, who was already chugging back her booze and had a goofy grin on her face. Deciding she didn't really want to see what she had in mind for tonight, she nodded and got up to follow the Spirit Detective.

They reached the restaurant in about twenty minutes, the two of them having light conversation on the way. Yusuke made sure to point out all of his and Kuwabara's favorite hang outs... especially the arcades.

When they got there, they saw Keiko sitting at one of the tables, nursing a soda. Her mother and father were behind the counter, getting ready to close up for the day.

Mr. Yukimura looked up with a smile. "Well, hello, Yusuke! It's been a while!" His smile faltered a little when he saw the unfamiliar girl walk in behind him. "Who's your friend?"

Yusuke smiled broadly. "Hey there, Mr. Yukimura! This is Natalie. She just moved into town with a friend of hers but because of some... unforeseeable circumstances, the two of them are homeless for now.. Mom offered to let her stay at our place. Don't worry, there's nothin' happening between the two of us," he said, wanting to put Keiko's dad's mind at rest before he could think to accuse the boy of cheating on his daughter.

Keiko got up with a smile that faltered only slightly when she saw Yusuke had brought Natalie with him. "Hi Yusuke! Hi Natalie!"

The young witch smiled at Keiko. "Hi! Nice to see you again! Don't worry, I'm just going to visit for a few minutes, and then I'm off. I'm not really eager to see how bad Atsuko can be when she gets going."

The girl seemed to be a little relieved to hear this, wanting to spend some time alone with her fiance. She smiled at the two of them pleasantly and motioned for them to sit down. Mr. Yukimura came up to them a moment later, holding three bowls of noodles. The three of them immediately started to munch down and engaged in a few moments of small talk until the parents went into the back of the shop to do up the dishes.

Keiko looked at Natalie. "So... how exactly does that dimensional travel stuff work, anyway? I mean... how is it possible that I'm portrayed as a cartoon character in your world?"

Natalie grinned and nodded, carefully explaining to Keiko about all the different realms and how her astral projection worked. She also explained exactly why she and her friend were now stuck here in their realm. Yusuke listened just as raptly as Keiko did. Even though he had heard the explanation before, sometimes he needed to hear something twice to make sure he understood it fully.

Keiko blinked when she was done. "So... the shows that we watch on TV now in OUR world also have a dimension all on their own?"

Natalie nodded with a grin on her face. "Yup, that's right. You can gain access to them through astral projection, though if I ever decide to use that technique to dimensionally travel again, I'll make damn sure to check the Akashic first."

The girl seemed to be deep in thought for a moment and then she shuddered. "Oh, Kami... that's actually rather scary..."

Natalie blinked and looked at her. "Scary how?"

The girl blushed a little and rubbed the back of her head. "Well, it might seem silly to you, but... I was just thinking of some of the children's shows that we have in this world. For instance, there's this one in our world called Teletubbies..." (AN: I don't own it and don't WANT to own it!!)

The witch immediately roared with laughter. "Oh my GOD!! You have that show here too?!" Natalie briefly imagined astral projecting to that world and winding up trapped there and let out a horrified shudder. Then she blinked and started to giggle. "Okay, I have to ask... Do you guys have a show called Southpark in this dimension?" (AN: Do not own!)

Yusuke immediately grinned broadly. "'Oh my God! They killed Kenny!' 'You bastards!'" He cracked up.

"What's really scary is that me and Lisa might exist in that realm somewhere, with those beady little eyes and those floppy heads..."

Keiko looked at her in surprise. "You're Canadians?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yup. We're Canucks." Then she quickly finished off her noodles and got up. "Well, I'm going to explore the neighborhood and leave you two lovebirds alone. I'm sure you want to catch up with each other, seeing as how Yusuke's been gone for the past few days."

The detective's girlfriend gave her a relieved smile and nodded eagerly.

Yusuke blinked. "Oh, hold up for a sec, Nat'!" He dug into his pockets and came up with a set of keys. "So you can get back into the apartment. I'm not sure if I'll be back tonight." He grinned a little lewdly at Keiko. "As you said, we have some 'catching up' to do."

Keiko turned bright red. Then she blinked herself and looked at Natalie. "Are you sure you want to go exploring on your own? There's some pretty big jerks out there..."

Yusuke snorted. "I saw her take on Hiei. She'll be fine."

The girl blinked again, this time in surprise, but decided to question the two of them about that one later. She gave Natalie a smile. "Well, it was nice to see you again! Have a good night!"

Natalie nodded to her. "It was nice to see you too, Keiko. Have fun tonight!" She gave the two of them a somewhat lewd wink of her own and then sauntered out of the restaurant.

The sun was setting by now and the air was cooler than earlier. Natalie took in a deep breath and couldn't help it when her nose wrinkled. Although Edmonton hadn't exactly had clean air, she was pretty sure Tokyo had her home city beat when it came to air pollution. She couldn't imagine how bad it must smell to Kurama, Hiei, and Yusuke if she found the smell to be unpleasant.

Other than the smell in the air, the evening was beautiful and she could see the first stars of the night starting to poke their way through the encroaching darkness. She saw the moon rising in the east and saw it was in its first quarter.

She made her way down the street and saw a couple of other businesses that were closing up for the night. She spotted a sign advertising a park not too far from where she was now and decided to make her way there.

It took her fifteen minutes to reach the park and she sat down on one of the benches with a small sigh. It was completely dark now, and her only source of light came from a street lamp that was above the bench she was now seated on. She felt better now that she was in a more natural setting, even though she could still hear the sounds of traffic going down the city streets.

She sat there trying not to think for a few long moments, when a familiar voice broke her out of her boredom.

"Natalie? What are you doing here?"

Blinking, she looked up and smiled when she saw Kurama looking down at her, his eyes questioning.

"Hey, Kurama. Atsuko was going on another one of her escapades, so Yusuke invited me to have ramen with him and Keiko at her parents noodle shop. I visited with them for a few minutes and then headed out to do some exploring. I'm not too eager to head back yet and see just how bad Atsuko can get when she gets drinking."

He sat next to her on the bench. "Why did you not stay with Yusuke and Keiko?"

Her smile turned into a smirk. "They made it pretty evident that they had... plans tonight, if you get my meaning. Yusuke's staying the night at Keiko's place, so I might wind up having their apartment to myself the night... if Atsuko decides to go bar hopping, that is."

He offered her a gentle smile. "Well, I was on my way home. I just finished helping Lisa get settled in. Would you like to join me? I could make up something for you to drink... unless you'd prefer to stay here in the park..."

She smiled and rolled her eyes. "Stay here and be bored out of my mind for half of the night? No thanks. I'll take your place any day!"

His smile widened slightly. "Very well. My home is not far from here. Just follow me."

It turned out that Kurama's home was just a ten minute walk from the park. He lived in a nicely sized apartment. Although it was only a two bedroom, the living room and kitchen were spacious. Something that set his place off from others slightly was the large assortment of plants that seemed to sit on every shelf. She also saw out on the balcony, that he had a small garden. The ones on the balcony all seemed normal enough, but several inside the house itself were unlike anything she had seen before.

She looked a little warily from Kurama to one of the plants which eerily resembled a large venus flytrap, only significantly more dangerous looking. Its leaves shuddered slightly when she approached to get a better look at it and she cast a cautious glance at the kitsune. "Um... none of your plants are going to try eating me, are they?"

He gave her a smirk. "Not while I'm here. They just need a little time to get used to your aura. Once you come over enough, they will grow accustomed to your presence." He headed over to the kitchen, motioning for Natalie to follow him. She sat down at the table as he went to the counter and started growing some of his plants. "What would you like? Some tea?"

She shrugged. "I've only tried tea once before, but I'm willing to give it another shot."

He smiled at her pleasantly. "I'll make you a brew that is favored by both me and my mother. It also has the property of helping to restore reiki."

A moment later she was sipping the tea, smiling an instant later in pleasant surprise. The flavor was unlike anything she had come across before, but was definitely a welcome change. She felt her insides warm and guessed it was a side effect of the tea.

"Hey, this stuff _is_ good! A far cry better than the stuff introduced to me by... my mom..."

When she trailed off, Kurama looked at her in concern once more and saw a far off expression on her formerly cheery face. He took his own helping of tea and sat across from her at the table.

"Natalie... do you want to talk about it?" he asked gently.

"No," she said a little too quickly. "I'm fine."

"You can lie to yourself, but you can't lie to me," Kurama said evenly. "Lisa told me that you took it upon yourself to take care of your parents because your father was aged and your mother had several medical problems. I know you must be worried about them."

Natalie made a mental note to staple her friends mouth shut the next chance she had. "You're right, but worrying about them won't help them."

Kurama considered. "Perhaps you could use astral projection to check on them. You may not be able to interact with them, but you might at least find out if they're all right or not..."

She shook her head. "Believe me, it's tempting, but I can't. It would become far too addictive. And besides that... if they're _not_ doing all right..." She sighed heavily. "It would just make me feel even worse than I already..." She cut herself off.

Kurama looked at her downcast expression and decided it would be for the best if he didn't push the issue right now. Natalie was obviously feeling far worse about the situation than she had originally let on, and he didn't want to contribute to her mental and emotional anguish by pushing the matter.

He didn't notice that Youko was being unusually quiet.

He reached out and gently took hold of Natalie's right hand, much to the girls surprise. He gave it a gentle squeeze and rubbed the back of it with his thumb. "I will not push the matter. Shall we discuss something else then?"

She smiled with relief and nodded. "I would appreciate that very much." She took another sip of her tea and sighed as another surge of warmth spread through her.

Kurama nodded and removed his hand from hers. He was about to bring up an entirely different subject when Youko finally made his presence known to him once again.

The avatar stiffened slightly when he could almost see Youko's grin. _I know an interesting way to get her out of this melancholy mood... and for us to have some fun while we're at it..._

_Youko, what are you thinking?_ Suichi asked warily, but he didn't receive a verbal response.

Instead he suddenly found himself struggling to maintain control of his own body as Youko lunged forward to take full control.

Natalie jumped slightly and her head jerked up, sensing the change.

Kurama gripped his head, his red hair bleeding silver, and claws replacing his fingernails. His eyes were glowing a bright red.

"Natalie! I... don't know what his intentions are! Be careful!" he managed to get out before he was completely taken over.

The girl got to her feet and stared in shock, unable to tear her eyes away from the transformation as it took place. Her heart was pounding as she watched Kurama grow to seven feet in height, and saw the silver ears grow out the top of his head. Then she saw his clothes shimmer to be replaced by Youko's own silver clothes, and saw the fluffy tail sprout from his tailbone.

Then his golden eyes met her blue-green and she froze in shock as she saw the unmistakable lust reflected in them.

"Y-Youko!! What are you doing?" she asked, unable to keep a slight quiver from her voice at his sudden appearance. She hadn't seen much of him in the series and really didn't know what to expect from a face to face meeting with the infamous thief.

He cut the distance between them in half with only a couple of steps. "Is it not obvious, my little ningen?" he purred gently.

Feeling a tinge of fear building up in her mind, Natalie took a step back. She had no way to fight against a demon of his caliber, she knew, and right now she was surrounded by plants. She was sure that retreat wasn't an option for her at the moment.

As if to confirm this, one of the plants behind her shuddered as if in warning and she quickly took a step forward, afraid of what would happen if she got too close to it. She felt panic come forward when she bumped into Youko and suddenly found herself being pulled off her feet and right up against him with one arm, while the other hand plunged into her hair and pulled her face forward to meet his. His lips met hers with such force it was painful, his tongue plunging into her mouth instantly. His grip on her didn't loosen, even as she pressed her hands against his chest in an effort to pull away from him.

When he didn't budge at all, panic reared fully in her mind and she struggled against him harder, now desperate to dislodge him from her.

Then both suddenly became aware of a loud growl coming from their right.

"Get your hands off of her, Fox," Hiei ground out, sword held in his hand. "You know her history and this is scaring her more than anything else!"

Youko finally released the woman in his arms and she stumbled back, letting out a shaky sigh of relief. A mischevious grin was on Youko's face as he regarded Hiei. The koorime looked far from being amused. "Why, Hiei. I had no idea you were so attached to her..."

Natalie looked between the two demons. While Youko looked rather smug, Hiei's expression was murderous. She decided it would be for the best if she made a hasty retreat.

"Suichi, if you can hear me, thank you for the tea, but I'm going now, so bye!" she said in a rush and shot out the door, moving as quickly as her legs could carry her.

Hiei scowled at the kitsune. "Pull a stunt like that again and I'll kill you!"

Youko grinned ferally. "Is it possible you like that onna, Hiei?" he asked easily, seemingly unconcerned with his threats.

Hiei growled low in his chest. "Don't test me. This is your only warning. If you want the other onna, then she's all yours, but Natalie doesn't need your mind games and bullshit. Goodnight." He was out the window again before the fox could blink.

Satisfied, Youko retreated, giving his avatar control once more.

_Youko!! Are you trying to get me KILLED?! What the hell were you thinking, pulling something like that?_! Suichi demanded, livid.

_Come now, Red... I'm surprised that you didn't sense our little firecracker outside the window watching us in the first place. And I have a distinct feeling that he wasn't here to see US. After hearing what happened between him and Natalie last night, I just had to see what would happen. You didn't honestly think I was actually going to do anything to her, did you?_

_Don't you EVER do something like that again!_ He said flatly. _I do not have a death wish!_

Youko said nothing, although Suichi could almost see the self satisfied smirk on his face in his mind's eye.

--

Natalie took in a deep breath when she was a block away from Kurama's apartment and sighed in relief. She made a mental note to warn Lisa about Youko's obvious perversion and to make sure she knew it wasn't merely the product of the fanfiction writers from their realm.

She reached up to touch her lips which were now swollen and more than a little sore from the kitsune's rough treatment. She scowled and started walking down the sidewalk once again. If she hadn't been at risk of being devoured by a deadly plant, she would have punched him.

Besides, what the fuck had brought that on in the first place? Not that Youko wasn't absolutely sexy in his own right, but she wasn't interested in pursuing a relationship with him, that was for sure!

Her thoughts were cut short when two men stepped out of an alley in front of her, blocking her path. The men looked to be in their late twenties to early thirties and were dressed like over-aged punks. She sighed inwardly when she heard the pathetic attempt of two more trying to sneak up behind her. She carefully positioned herself so she could keep an eye on all four of them, looking more than just a little annoyed at these morons.

"Don't you guys have anything better to do with your nights?" she asked, not bothering to hide her exasperation.

The apparent ringleader grinned at her lewdly. "What's better than this? Come along nice and quiet and you won't get hurt, beautiful."

Natalie looked from one to the other, a small smile coming to her face. "You know what? I'm actually happy you guys came to me tonight."

The four of them grinned broadly as they started closing in on her position. "Ah! That's the attitude! You little ladies really love this kinda thing, don't ya? You were hoping to be picked up by some real men!"

She let out a sharp laugh hearing this. "Yeah, sure, if you say so. _My_ man has to have some essential equipment." She pointedly eyed their nether regions, a smirk coming to her face. "And you four don't even come close to my standards." She cracked her knuckles and her smirk grew. "I'm happy you guys came to me because I _really_ need to beat the royal fuck out of someone and you gave me a very good reason to."

Before any of them could blink, Natalie shot toward the closest man and slammed her fist into his gut. The man bowled forward and she delivered a roundhouse kick that sent him flying a good twenty feet away, before she was grabbed from behind by a larger opponent. She easily did a shoulder throw, slamming him into the ground with all her strength. She heard a harsh crack when he made contact with the ground. She turned to the third man and made her way forward.

Only to stop in her tracks when she heard the unmistakable sound of someone cocking a gun right behind her. Natalie's eyes widened and she turned slowly, seeing the ringleader pointing the nuzzle of a large gun directly at her. He was scowling at her, but then it turned into a sneer.

"Quite a little fighter you are, girlie... but let's see if you can dodge a bullet."

When she heard the gun go off, she thought for sure she was about to go on a permanent astral journey, but was shocked when she found herself being set down on shaky legs by Hiei. Then the little demon vanished from sight and her remaining attackers both fell unconscious to the ground.

Natalie breathed an enormous sigh of relief. _This is the first time I've actually been relieved to have a stalker,_ she thought. Then another thought came to her. _Saved TWICE by Hiei in under a half hour. That's GOT to be a new record. He must really think I'm pathetic now._

That thought just made her more frustrated than ever and she growled. "Okay, that does it! I don't care if Atsuko's dancing in her underwear and singing show tunes! I'm going back to Yusuke's place before anything else happens!" She started off down the street with a slight huff before she felt someone grab her wrist in an iron hold.

Looking back in surprise, she saw Hiei standing there, his jagan exposed. He was looking off toward Yusuke's place, his face set in a contemplative frown. Then, to Natalie's surprise, he got a what-the-fuck expression on his face.

Curious in spite of herself, she had to ask. "What's up?"

His face turned mildly disgusted as he replaced the headband over his third eye and regarded her steadily. "Atsuko invited a friend over. At first I wasn't sure if it was a man or a woman. I'm pretty sure Yusuke's mother is not prone to mating with other female's, so I'm guessing it's a man dressed as a woman. And they are currently on YOUR bed."

Natalie wanted to be shocked, surprised and angry, but she just moaned and started to think aloud. "Okay, scratch Yusuke's. I'm NOT going back to Kurama's place after the stunt Youko pulled, Kuwabara's place is filled and I'm not interested in hearing Yusuke and Keiko going at it. I haven't been introduced to anyone else yet so..." She sighed. "Guess I'll just curl up on a park bench for the night." She was about to head to the park where she had met Kurama earlier that evening, but then realized that Hiei still had a hold of her wrist.

"You're not sleeping in a park by yourself after what almost happened to you, onna. You're staying with me tonight." Not giving her a chance to voice her objectsion, the next thing she knew, Hiei had her in his arms and was jumping from tree to tree, roof to roof, heading for the outskirts of the city at a blinding speed.

The suddenness of this action caused Natalie to let out a screech and her arms flew around Hiei's shoulders, her face burying itself in the crook of his neck. She tried to ignore the feel of his body against hers, the faint scent of pine she smelled coming from him, the wonderful heat his body gave off, with little success.

**Okay, the next chapter's gonna be Hiei's POV since he left the group and explaining how he wound up at Kurama's apartment in the first place. Not to mention, the time he spends with Natalie Please Read and Review!!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Here's Chapter Fourteen! This story's probably going to wind up being rated M at some point in the next few chapters... just to warn you now :P**

**I do not own any of the characters, except for Natalie and Lisa.**

After the group split up, Hiei went off on his own, going to the park to sit in one of his favorite trees. Not wanting to be disturbed, he completely dampened his aura. He thought back on the past few days and scowled as his thoughts kept coming back to the dark haired onna.

It actually unnerved him just how often she had been entering his thoughts since he had first met her, but she had been entering his thoughts even more since their fight. And since spending the night with her last night, she had always been sitting in the back of his mind.

His scowl deepened. _She's just a ningen onna,_ he told himself. _Forget her._

But he couldn't. He suddenly remembered when he fought against her. Although she was nowhere near his fighting level, she had enormous potential for a human. Hiei knew she could take on Kuwabara with little trouble. And what he had seen didn't include what magickal abilities she could potentially use in a fight. He remembered the murderous glint in her eyes as she was overcome with her rage, the way her muscles had tensed. How she had gotten right back up, chest heaving with her every breath, but more than ready and willing to continue the fight, unwilling to quit despite knowing the odds were stacked against her...

He shook his head stubbornly.

Okay, she was a decent fighter. And she was almost his equal when it came to verbal barrs. She was fiercely independent and very stubborn. As much as he hated to admit it, she did have many qualities that he had to admire. She was unlike and onna, human or demon, that he had ever met before.

And though he would rather undergo extreme physical torture than to admit it verbally, she _was_ attractive.

But that wasn't the only thing that had grabbed his interest. It was something he had seen in her mind when she had invited him to use his jagan on her.

_Natalie and Lisa were currently watching episodes of Yu Yu Hakusho on DVD, and were watching Hiei battle against one of his opponents in the Dark Tournament. It was the first time Hiei had used the Dragon of the Darkness Flame Attack._

_Natalie sighed. "Isn't he just great?"_

_Lisa looked at her friend a little warily. "I dunno. He's kinda scary if you ask me. I prefer Kurama."_

_Her friend grinned. "You realize that he's even more merciless in a fight than Hiei is, right? Although he has his own morals, he doesn't have an honor code like Hiei does. He is pretty cool, though. He's my second favorite of the Yu Yu Gang."_

_The blonde looked at her friend a little doubtfully. "Um... if Kurama's more merciless, then why does it seem that Hiei's the most prone to threatening decapitation?"_

_Natalie's grin broadened and she rolled her eyes. "Half of the time he wouldn't go through with it, trust me. Unless, of course, you were an actual threat to him. It's just a tough cover to keep people at arms length. You have to know by now that he has a really hard time trusting people. And who can blame him after those prejudice and superstitious bitches on the Ice World tossed him off when he was just an infant? Not to mention the bandits that took him in turning their backs on him when he became too powerful for their liking."_

_Lisa considered for a moment, then asked, "Why did they throw him off the Island again? Isn't that a little extreme? I mean, he was just a baby. He couldn't hurt anyone then..."_

_Natalie scowled. "Because his mother broke a law among the Koorime. They're naturally asexual beings... they don't need to have sex to get pregnant, and so they pretty much shun relationships with men. So when his mother slept with the fire demon and gave birth to both Hiei and Yukina, they tossed Hiei away because he was a male. A male born under those circumstances is known as a Forbidden Child."_

_"But doesn't that mean that Yukina's half fire demon, too?"_

_Natalie nodded. "Yes, but she was born female, so she was considered to be different. It's stupid, I know. It's not as if Hiei ASKED to be born under those circumstances, and yet they still treated him like dirt. Growing up with those conditions, I'm actually surprised he's as nice as he is. Not many people could go through the stuff that he has and still maintain their sanity." She sighed a little dreamily. "Beneath it all, he's afraid of being rejected again... of being cast aside like the bandits did to him. So nobody can really blame him for his occasional bouts of temper and threats of decapitation. It's a defensive measure more than anything else. Although if someone actually DID betray him, human or demon, I'm pretty sure they'd be on a one way trip to the Spirit World. He's been through more than enough of that in his life, so I think he shouldn't have to put up with that kind of shit anymore."_

_Lisa rolled her eyes. "You're talking about him as if he's real or something..."_

_When Natalie heard those words, she grinned broadly. "OH! I forgot to show you something!" She reached for one of her books and flipped through it. "You're not going to believe this!"_

That was when Natalie had first informed Lisa of her discovery that their realm really DID exist. After some persuasion and light hearted teasing, she managed to convince her friend to go on the astral journey with her, and they decided to make the trip the next morning.

But the way Natalie had spoken about him to her friend... she hadn't had a single negative thing to say about him. In fact, had had nothing but admiration for him. Although he refused to believe in half of what she had told her friend (afraid of being rejected... HAH!), he couldn't help but appreciate her words and the conviction with which she had spoken about him.

Realizing that he was thinking of the insufferable ningen again, he scowled and shook his head, trying to clear this mind of her.

But just when he thought he was starting to succeed, he sensed a now familiar aura, much to his frustration. Looking down from the shadows of his perch, he saw Natalie pass by beneath his tree on the trail and watched as she took a seat on a bench about fifty feet away from his position. He wondered what she was doing there, and then scowled when he realized her ward was still shielding her thoughts from him. He considered going someplace else, considered revealing his presence to her, and was a little stuck between the two of those options. But his contemplations were interrupted yet again with the approach of Kurama.

He watched their exchange and frowned when she happily agreed to go with him to his apartment. He felt an unfamiliar and illogical sensation build up within him and his blood immediately began to boil. This surprised him.

_Why the hell should I care if the ningen onna goes with the kitsune?_

He couldn't answer that. He only knew that he did. Was it possible that he was...?

Hiei refused to even complete the thought. He did NOT feel jealousy.

But before he was even really aware of what he was doing, he was off, following the two of them, carefully concealing his presence and keeping to the shadows to avoid detection. He alit on Kurama's balcony and hid himself in the shadows.

He watched as Kurama gave her the tour, watched her question him about his plants, and then watched as the kitsune led her into the kitchen and prepared one of his specially brewed teas for her.

He frowned when the conversation started turning back to her old world, and her concern about her family's welfare. The onna was still blaming herself, he realized. Though he couldn't agree with her more when she informed the fox that she had no plans to spiritually visit her own realm. She shouldn't dwell on the past.

Just as Kurama was about to change the subject for his companion's benefit, the koorime froze, feeling Youko stirring within his avatar.

Natalie sensed the change as well and stood up in alarm. Suichi warned her to be careful, as Youko's intentions were unknown even to him. The woman watched in shock and not a small amount of fear, as he took control, transforming into the infamous thief.

He saw the lust in Youko, saw the fear in Natalie, realized the woman had no way to escape and knew she had no chance should she choose to try fighting the kitsune off. Youko made his intentions crystal clear to the young onna, then pulled her up against him and slammed his lips against hers hungrily. Natalie's ward fluctuated, her terror slamming into Hiei like a scream for help. The hybrid snarled, his eyes flaring red briefly as he unsheathed his sword and flew into the apartment.

He was barely able to hold himself back as he gave the kitsune a verbal warning and watched as he dropped the woman unceremoniously to the floor. She looked between the two of them, decided it would be in her best interests to leave, and shot out the door as though her life depended on it.

After giving the fox a piece of his mind, and barely tolerating some of his teasing, Hiei shot off to follow Natalie once more.

He rolled his eyes when he saw the men surround the woman. She, of course, seemed more annoyed than anything else, and showed them why as she effortlessly took two of them out. But when the leader pulled a gun out of his jacket and cocked it, the woman froze, her eyes going wide as she slowly turned to face him.

The demon stiffened, realizing she'd never had to deal with having a gun pulled on her before and hadn't thought of a way to counter that form of attack. While normally he would find that pathetic, he remembered that the thought simply hadn't occurred to her before. She normally lived in the countryside with amicable neighbors and friendly, well intentioned people. So why would she think of forming a defense against a threat that she never thought she'd ever face?

A split second before the gun went off, Hiei made his move, easily moving the woman out of harms way and quickly incapacitating the remaining men.

She looked at him with immense relief, surprise and appreciation. That was soon overtaken by annoyance and frustration. After a short vent, she decided she would much rather spend the rest of her night with Atsuko than risk any further incidents and started to leave.

Hiei caught hold of her wrist, removed his headband and used it to see precisely what the Detective's mother was up to at the moment. After being met with a sight he would just as soon like to forget, and informing the woman of the occurrence, she quickly went through her other possible options verbally, and decided with a sigh of resignation to simply spend her night sleeping on a park bench.

His eyes narrowed when she said this. Did the onna honestly think he was going to let her do something like that when she had almost met with disaster twice in a single night?

He said as much to her and then, before she could even think to protest, he had her in his arms and shot off. Natalie let out a cry of alarm and threw her arms around him for additional support. Glancing down at her, seeing her vulnerable expression, coupled with the feel of her body pressed close against his, Hiei had to stomp down the beast he felt stirring within him. He shook his head stubbornly.

He settled down on the branch of a large tree about a mile outside of the city, carefully setting the woman into his lap and holding her securely in his arms. He shook his head again when he was suddenly reminded of the night before.

The woman clung to him for a moment longer until she was sure that Hiei had settled down for good. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at their location. He rose a quizzical eyebrow when she smiled and shook her head.

"In a tree. Why am I not surprised?"

Hiei shrugged nonchallantly. "Hn. It's more difficult for enemies to sneak up on you when you're in a tree," he said simply. "Unless you would rather sleep on the ground...?"

She shook her head. "this is fine... so long as I don't fall out. It would be a little more painful than simply rolling out of bed in the middle of the night."

"I won't let you fall," he said, trying to keep the insulted tone out of his voice.

She said nothing to this and simply shifted herself slightly, trying to get into a more comfortable position. Unknown to her, Hiei's body reacted when he felt her soft curves moving against him. He quickly put a tight rein on his inner beast and simply shifted his hold slightly to help her, not knowing the effect his hand rubbing the back of her upper thigh would have.

Natalie suddenly took in a sharp breath as she felt Hiei's hand rub under her leg, and the accompanying sensations that flooded through her. She felt heat pool in the pit of her stomach and she turned bright red.

Hiei's eyes widened when he unexpectedly heard the onna gasp and smelled her arousal. His eyes were on her in an instant and he was unexpectedly flooded with a plethora of other sensations.

He saw her flushed features, her wide eyes that were deliberately avoiding looking at him. He suddenly felt the curves of her body against him more completely than he had before. He noticed her lips were actually PHYSICALLY bruised from the treatment the fox had given her. Then he suddenly caught the lingering scent of Youko upon the woman in his arms. Combined with her normal scent, and the intoxicating smell of her arousal, it sent his beast clawing at his suddenly weakening barriers.

All his primal instincts were screaming at him. He wanted to remove every single trace of the fox, to claim her as his own this very moment. The intensity of the sensations left the hybrid shocked and confused, and he found himself struggling to maintain his self-control.

When Natalie looked up at him finally, her face still flushed, she was shocked at what she saw in Hiei's eyes. She couldn't be seeing lust in those ruby orbs... could she? She sensed the tension pouring out of him and realized he was taking slow, deep, calculated breaths.

"Um... are you... okay, Hiei?" she asked hesitantly.

Seeing her eyes now looking into his own, seeing her lips move and her little pink tongue, Hiei's control wavered. Unable for a moment to control his own movements, he leaned forward and ran his tongue over her bruised lips, instantly healing the minor injury.

Her reaction was immediate. She let out a startled gasp and her arousal struck him like a physical blow, sending his common sense reeling. Before either of them knew it, Natalie was flat on her back, Hiei straddling her, on the ground at the base of the tree.

This action caused her ward to crash and burn, and Hiei's jagan immediately picked up on her fear, confusion, and just a bit of attraction.

The fear brought some of his common sense back to the surface and he quickly grasped onto it before he wound up doing something he would later regret. What the fuck was wrong with him?! He had more self-control than this! He'd only met the onna a few days ago, and he was ready to take her?!

Then a sudden thought came to him as he remembered she was a witch. Was it possible that...? Unable, or perhaps unwilling, to consider any other explanation, anger quickly overtook Hiei's lust.

"What the fuck have you done to me?" he growled.

Natalie looked at him in alarm and confusion, seeing anger in his eyes. "What do you mean?" she managed to get out, not sure if she was happy with this change or not. There was no point in denying she was attracted to Hiei, but she sure as hell wasn't ready to do anything like THAT with him!

To her surprise and growing confusion, the little demon vanished from sight and then reappeared standing over her, his sword up against her throat. "DON'T LIE TO ME, NINGEN!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME?!"

It dawned on her what he was talking about. Her temporary stab of fear at having his sword at her throat was easily replaced with her own temper at his accusations.

"How dare you?! Do you think I'm so desperate that I'd cast a SPELL on you?! What happened just now had NOTHING to do with me!!"

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Then how do you explain my lack of self-control?!"

She rolled her eyes. "Why don't YOU tell me? The number one rule of spell casting is 'harm none.' That includes anything that would interfere in free will. While it IS possible to cast a love spell, it's a really bad idea to cast one on a particular person because it interferes with their own will. I didn't do jack shit, so don't go blaming me!"

She angrily pushed his sword aside, got up, and started walking past him. He grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"Where do you think you're going?" he demanded.

She scowled. "I'm going back to Yusuke's! I'd rather deal with Atsuko and her guest than you right now! I'll just sleep on the couch." She tried to pull herself free of his grip with no success. She glared at him. "Between Youko, those thugs, and you, I'm in a rapidly deteriorating mood, Hiei, so don't push me. Let... me... go... NOW!"

"After your encounter with the thugs earlier..."

"I don't need a fucking babysitter, and after you just had your sword at my throat, why are you suddenly acting so concerned?! I thought you didn't give a shit about 'ningens' anyway! I'm a big girl and I can take care of myself!"

Hiei's lips drew back into a smirk. "I didn't see any evidence of THAT earlier..."

Her eyes narrowed into slits. Oh, was he EVER pushing his luck! "That was different and you know it!"

"What are you going to do if another ningen pulls a gun on you and your 'babysitter' isn't there to save you? You looked to be at a complete loss before."

"I'll deal with it on my own, IF it happens again. I could even jump from roof to roof rather than walking the streets if I have to. Like I said, I don't need your protection."

"Using the roof travel would require you to use your energy, which could attract the attention of other demons, and we BOTH know how well you fight against THEM. Both of your strategies are flawed." He found himself enjoying this immensely. He could (thankfully) no longer smell Youko upon the woman and was delighting in watching her reactions to his jibes. He was waiting for her response and soon got it.

He felt a jolt akin to electricity shock his hand where he held her arm. Surprised at this, he quickly released her and the woman immediately bolted.

Hiei cut her off, his speed easily overcoming hers.

Her temper finally snapped and she simply attacked him. Hiei easily blocked or dodged every blow she delivered, which only served to increase her anger and made her try harder to hit him, wanting to wipe that damned smirk off his face.

This went on for nearly a full hour. Natalie didn't care that her energy was getting lower and lower with each failed strike. She was determined to hit him. Until Hiei made one strike at her and she barely dodged, flipping out of the way. When she landed, one of her ankles went out from beneath her and she couldn't stop herself from falling to her hands and knees. She took in several long, shaking breaths and finally looked up to see Hiei looking down at her, his smirk still in place.

"Are you quite done yet, onna?"

Her eyes narrowed into slits at his smug attitude. "Hell, no!!" She launched herself at him, determined to get in at least one hit. Hiei simply stepped to the side, grabbed the back of her shirt, and brought his knee up into her stomach. The air rushed out of Natalie with the force of the blow. She was on her knees again, holding her stomach, her face twisted as she took in lungful's of air and focused on blocking out the pain.

"Are you finished now?" he asked her as though nothing had happened.

Natalie didn't answer. Hiei took that as an affirmative and before the girl knew what was happening, she was in his arms again, back on his perch in the tree. She struggled a moment and then settled down with a scowl. She had burned out too much of her energy with the spar to try getting out of his hold now.

"I told you you were staying with me tonight, onna, and I meant it. Now just settle down and go to sleep."

Her mind was awash with confusion. What the hell had just happened? First he has her cuddled in his lap, then he has her flat on her back. After that he had spouted off blatant accusations about her manipulating him and had his sword at her throat. When she set him straight on THAT and tried to leave, he blocked her way and goaded her into fighting him again. And now that her energy was drained, here she was cuddled in his lap as if nothing had happened in the first place!

This seemed to bring new meaning to the term love/hate relationship. She didn't have a clue what was going in that head of his.

Well, there was no point in trying to figure it out right now. She laid her head against his chest, and allowed herself to drop off into sleep.

**Please tell me what you think! Read and Review!! (Sits outside her mailbox and hopes reviews come flooding in) **


	15. Chapter 15

**Here's Chapter Fifteen! Sorry about the wait, but I have a job now and I don't have as much time as I used to to work on my stories. I'll try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. :)**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho... only my characters, Natalie and Lisa.**

Almost the second Natalie had woken up the next morning, Hiei had simply jumped to his feet with her in his arms, and started back to the city with his blinding speed. He did one last quick check for her with his jagan and informed her that it was safe to return to Yusuke's place if she chose to do so, and then simply vanished once more, leaving her VERY confused.

She didn't really want to go back to Yusuke's place just yet. She dug around in her pockets and was relieved to find her wallet. She went to a diner and ordered herself some breakfast and coffee while she thought about the events that had unfolded last night.

Sleeping on it hadn't helped. She was still as confused as ever and didn't know what to make of Hiei's actions... or Youko's for that matter. She finished her meal and just sat there for a few hours, drinking coffee and thinking about her new situation. She came no closer to making any sense of it.

Then she sighed heavily as she looked at her watch. She had been sitting in the diner for three hours now, and was no closer to figuring things out than she had been when she'd come in here in the first place. After debating the issue in her mind for a few moments, she sighed again and decided that she really had no choice. She had to talk to Kurama.

She got to her feet, paid for her meal, then exited the diner, making her way down the street toward Kurama's apartment building. She stood at the main entrance indecisively for a moment before she frowned to herself and just pressed the buzzer.

"Yes?" came the reply a moment later.

"It's Natalie."

There was a long moment of silence before the door sounded and she went inside. She got to his door and gave a couple of knocks. He answered almost immediately, his face filled with curiosity and a little apprehension. No doubt he clearly remembered what had happened last night.

Natalie stood there with her arms across her chest and a serious expression on her face. "Before I get to the real reason I'm here... Youko, I know you can hear me, and I'm only going to tell you this once. If you pull a stunt like you did last night, demon or no demon, plants or no plants, I WILL slug you. I'm far from being in the mood for your bullshit today. And... with that being said..." She gave Kurama a pleading look. "I really, REALLY need advice."

He blinked, plainly curious. "Regarding?"

She half sighed, half scowled. "Hiei."

His curiosity now piqued, Kurama stepped aside to let her into his apartment. "I'll make up some tea. You look a little wound up. We can talk in the living room." He indicated the couch to her. "Please, make yourself at home. I will be with you in a moment."

Nodding, she flopped down onto his couch and sighed. A couple of minutes passed before he entered the room again, handing her a steaming cup of tea.

"Now, you were saying you needed my help?" he prodded gently.

She nodded and gave him a look of resignation. "You're not going to believe what happened after I left your place last night."

He nodded. "Tell me everything. Leave nothing out."

So, sparing none of the gory details, and blushing like mad when she got to the more intimate details of the story, Natalie told him everything that had happened between her and Hiei the night before.

"... and then this morning he brought me back to the city without a word, told me it was safe for me to return to Yusuke's place and just vanished. That was about four hours ago." Looking up at Kurama, she saw flakes of gold mixed in with his green eyes and knew Youko had been listening very intently as well.

The kitsune avatar looked to be deep in thought for a moment and then smirked. "This is quite interesting. I never thought I would live to see Hiei act in such a manner."

She snorted. "Tell me about it. I thought he had great self-control. I don't know what the hell set him off last night."

Again, the fox seemed to think. "I'm not sure... unless..." A hint of realization came to his expression. "I think I may know what it was that made him act in such an extreme manner. Remember, Youko was in direct physical contact with you last night. His scent was still upon you. If Hiei is attracted to you physically, then the scent of your arousal, combined with that of Youko's may be what set him off. His instincts were likely prompting him to... remove the scent of the other male."

She rolled her eyes. "So I can partially blame Youko for what happened then. I still don't understand why he refused to let me leave and goaded me into fighting him again, though."

Kurama frowned again. He found that curious as well, considering that Hiei had accused her of casting a spell on him only seconds before that particular confrontation. The kitsune couldn't make sense of Hiei's actions.

Natalie was still talking. "I mean, first he does it at Koenma's palace, and now here. I mean, what the hell? Does he get off on things like that or something?"

It clicked into place for Kurama.

"That's it!" he said suddenly, causing his companion to look at him curiously.

"What?"

He smirked, unable to keep a small piece of Youko's personality form coming to the forefront. "If I'm correct, I do believe that Hiei may be provoking you in such a way because he _likes_ the way you react. He enjoys fighting immensely, so it makes sense that he would be more attracted to a woman who is facing him in battle."

She rose an eyebrow slowly. "You're serious? You think he gets off on me attacking him?"

His smirk grew. "He gets off on your anger. You show a degree of stubbornness and fierce determination when you get angry."

"You seriously think Hiei likes me like that, don't you?"

His expression turned mischievous now. "You tell me. You're the one who was held in his arms two nights in a row and found yourself flat on your back last night."

The kitsune was immediately rewarded when the girl turned a dark shade of red, in spite of her efforts to stop it. She cleared her throat. "Okay, let's say you're right. How do I deal with it? I mean, demon mating wasn't exactly covered in the TV series. And now it seems every time I turn around, Hiei's somewhere nearby."

Kurama regarded her steadily. "That depends upon what YOU want."

She blinked.

He elaborated on what he meant. "Natalie, do YOU want to be in a relationship with Hiei?"

That question made her pause. Did she want a relationship with the koorime? She'd had a crush on him back in her world, but now that she was actually HERE, able to interact with him, it seemed almost surreal. Only a week ago if someone had asked her that same question, it would have been a resounding yes. But...

She shook her head. "I don't know. A week ago, if someone had asked me that back in my world, it would have been a definite yes, but..."

Kurama smirked. "But then you didn't think it was possible."

She nodded, a small smile coming to her face. "It IS a little overwhelming. And Hiei can be seriously... intimidating when he wants to be."

"Yes, he can be. However, he fought against you twice, never harming you even though he easily could have done so, and even saved you from danger twice. Those are rare signs that Hiei likes you. Or, is there something ELSE you're also concerned about?" he asked, his face still holding the smirk.

Natalie looked at him for a long moment, and then sighed. "I can't believe I'm about to ask this," she muttered, turning a bright red again. "How different is demon courtship from human courtship?"

The kitsune's smirk seemed to grow upon being asked this question. "Well, it really depends upon the demon who is courting you. Of course, I don't think you would be expecting Hiei to bring you out to dinner and a movie. His idea of a date would probably be slaughtering low level demons in the Makai." The unmistakable glint of mischief came to his eyes which flickered golden as the next question was asked. "Or were you referring to the act of mating itself?"

Again, she turned red. "Both," she said simply.

He nodded. "Demons mate for life. In order to create an unbreakable bond with their chosen mate, there is a small energy exchange. This is achieved by the male marking his chosen female by biting the pulse point on her neck while engaged in sexual acts."

Natalie stared at him. "Holy shit. I can't believe the fanfiction writers were right about that..."

Kurama blinked in surprise. "Fanfiction... writers? You mean fans of ours write stories about us?"

The woman nodded and then suddenly remembered the yaoi stories on the internet and pictured what Hiei's reaction would be if he ever found out some people had paired him up with Kuwabara or Yukina. Or the kitsune's reaction if he found out that some people had paired up him with Karasu. She shivered and quickly decided to change the subject.

She quickly waved it off. "Yes, but most of what is written is nothing more than idle speculation. As I said, they didn't mention anything about the mating techniques of demons on the TV series itself." She reached up and touched the pulse point on her neck, frowning slightly. "Not sure how I would feel about Hiei biting my neck, though..."

The fox shrugged. "He only needs to do it once in order to claim you as a mate. But if you are concerned about such a thing, let me assure you now... A mating will not work properly if both parties are not consentual. He cannot force it upon you."

"Well, at least THAT'S comforting," she said. And it was. With the way Hiei had acted last night, she wasn't so sure about his self-control anymore. At least she couldn't be forced into a mating.

Kurama looked at her. "Now you merely have to decide whether it is something you want. And if Hiei is the one you want to be with. I'll warn you to think on this carefully, Natalie. Mating is the equivalent to human marriage, with the exception that it cannot be reversed. There is no divorce in demon relationships. Only when one or the other mate dies, does it come to an end."

She looked at him for a long moment and then sighed. "As if I didn't have enough to think about, but at least this clarifies things for me." She looked at her watch and then got to her feet. "Well, I should be headed back to Yusuke's place before he thinks something happened to me."

Kurama got to his feet as well, a small smirk coming to his face. "Well, something DID happen to you, and with his sense of smell, you can be sure Yusuke will be asking questions about what that something was. I can smell Hiei all over you."

She rolled her eyes. "He's been teasing me already. I can only imagine how he's going to react when he hears THIS story." She gave him a small smile. "Well, thanks Kurama."

He nodded. "It was my pleasure. If you ever need advice on these matters, don't be afraid to come to me. Youko is very knowledgeable in these affairs."

She had to resist the urge to roll her eyes again. "I can imagine. I'll see you around."

Then she let herself out of his apartment, and started to make her way home.

--

Hiei was currently in the Makai, sitting in a large tree. He felt much better now that he had spent his morning slaughtering a couple hundred low level demons. Unfortunately, he was no closer to understanding what had come over him last night. He wanted to believe that the onna had merely cast a spell on him and use that as an excuse for his actions, but he knew that SHE had had nothing to do with his lack of control. Surely, if she had had something to do with it, she would not have felt fear.

The koorime leaned his head back against the tree trunk and tried to think. The problem was, he knew nothing about these strange, alien sensations he'd been experiencing lately. He considered going to Mukuro to ask her for advice, but could just imagine her raucous laughter at his predicament. That left either the Detective (who would be sure to tease him mercilessly) or the Fox, whom Hiei was still angry at. There was no way in hell he was going to ask Kuwabara for help, especially with this situation. It was obvious the moron knew nothing about these situations anyway. He would be of no help to him.

He had almost decided to go speak to the Detective about this matter when he remembered Natalie was living with him for the time being. Hiei then decided that, despite the actions of Youko the night before, Kurama would probably be his best bet. Mentally steeling himself for the meeting, Hiei got to his feet and vanished, seeking out a portal that would lead him back to Ningenkai.

--

Kurama blinked when he felt Hiei approaching his apartment. He turned off the television and got to his feet, opening the window to give him entrance. Although he was a little nervous after the near confrontation the koorime had had with Youko the night before, the kitsune knew Hiei would understand that it had not been the doing of the avatar.

Hiei appeared in his apartment building about thirty seconds later and Kurama looked at him a little warily. "What brings you here, Hiei?"

The hybrid looked at him coolly. "I'm not going to waste time by beating around the bush, so I'll just come right out and say it. I need help, and you're the only one I can think of who would be able to offer me any useful advice in this area."

The kitsune blinked, immediately intrigued. He had been surprised when Natalie had shown up at his door this morning, but now that Hiei had shown up only an hour after she had left, he was even more intrigued than he initially had been.

"What is it you need my help with? I shall do everything in my power, you know that."

He nodded. "Good." Then he crossed his arms and faced the wall, his eyes refusing to meet with Kurama's. "I nearly lost control last night when I was with the onna. If I hadn't grasped back onto it when I did, I would have raped her."

Kurama was stunned to hear Hiei admit to any sort of loss of control, and he only hoped that word of it didn't reach Rekai. Koenma was nervous as it was, having the little demon in his employ. But what concerned him more was he seemed almost visibly upset that he had lost that control. However, that could also be a sign that he was afraid of hurting Natalie, which was both bad and good. It showed that he had the capacity to bring her harm, on the one hand, but on the other, it showed that he truly _didn't_ want to hurt her.

"It's a good thing you grasped back onto your control when you did then," he said cautiously.

Hiei growled. "It's more than just that, Fox!! I can't get that blasted onna out of my head!! When I smelled Youko upon her last night, it brought my inner beast clawing at my inner barriers! What the fuck is happening to me?!"

Kurama looked at him for a long moment, and then sighed. "I don't think you would be willing to admit it to yourself. If I told you, you would only deny it and insist that there had to be another explanation."

His companion looked at him for a long moment in tense silence, and then finally spoke, just a hint of resignation in his voice. "Try me."

The kitsune nodded. "Very well, then. Like you, I will be blunt." He looked straight at Hiei, his eyes dead serious. "You have deep feelings for her, Hiei. I might even be willing to go so far as to say that you are in love with Natalie."

"Hn. Ridiculous." Hiei turned away from him again.

Kurama shrugged. "You can deny it all you like, but the more you do, the less self control you will have over yourself when you are around her."

"How could I possibly have feelings for her? She's just a ningen onna!"

He shrugged again. "I can't answer that, except of all of us, you know her the best. You possibly know more about her than Lisa does, and that is saying something, considering that she is her best friend. You were in her mind, Hiei. You must have seen something in there that nabbed your attention. Your odd behavior started shortly after you used the Jagan on her."

Hiei's head jerked up slightly, as if he just noticed something. "She was here," he said shortly. "Very recently."

Kurama hesitated, and then sighed, giving his friend a nod. "Yes. She came to me earlier and told me what happened after she left here last night. You left her feeling very... confused. You're not the only one who came to me today asking for advice."

"Hn."

The fox sighed. Sometimes talking to Hiei was like talking to a brick wall. "Hiei. You told Youko last night that Natalie didn't need mind games. How do you think she's going to interpret your actions? You have not been making your intentions clear to her."

Hiei whirled on him, his expression turning slightly dangerous. "How the hell can I make any intentions clear when I don't even KNOW what my intentions toward her are?!"

"Then I suggest you figure out what your intentions toward her are soon, Hiei. Do you merely want friendship, or something more? Or do you hate her, although I highly doubt from what I've been hearing that THAT is the case?" He couldn't keep the smirk from his face as he said the last sentence.

Hiei looked at him coolly for a long moment. "What do you suggest I do? I know nothing about these things, Fox. That's why I came to you."

Kurama sighed. "Observe her. See what just watching her does. And for the love of Inari, keep yourself in control! You gave her quite a scare last night, and she's already confused as it is. Not to mention, I don't even want to think of what Koenma would say if you did something you would later regret."

Hiei considered the Fox's words, and then simply nodded. Before Kurama could get in another word, the koorime was gone.

**I promise that Lisa will be in the next chapter. I know I haven't written a lot about her in the last few chapters, but I wanted to focus on Natalie and Hiei for a bit. Please R&R!! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Sorry for the wait! I'm working nights now and don't have as much time as I used to to work on my stories. I'll try to get up the next chapter in the next week or so!!**

**Here's chapter sixteen!! I own nothing but my own characters, Natalie and Lisa!!**

Kuwabara found Lisa sitting on the bed in her room, snuggling Eikichi with a happy smile on her face. He could hear his cat purring up a storm even from where he stood in the doorway.

He grinned broadly. "Heh, she likes you!"

Her smile widened. "The feeling's mutual! She's sooo cuuuuuuute..." She scratched behind the kitty's ear and she leaned into the humans touch.

Kuwabara blinked suddenly and looked over his shoulder. Then a grin came to his face. "Heh. Looks like Natalie misses you already. She's walkin' up to the front door."

Lisa blinked and then smiled again, giving the kitty one last scratch before getting to her feet and following the psychic to the door.

Natalie was standing there with a grin on her face as she gave her friend a wave. "Hey, Lis'! I was just on my way back to Yusuke's, and I thought I'd drop in."

Lisa blinked. "On your way BACK to Yusuke's?" She looked at her watch incredulously. "Where the heck were you?"

The girl cast a half glance at Kuwabara and then smiled at her friend again. "It's a bit of a story. Let's spend some time in your room and chat. There's a few things we have to talk about." She kept her voice casual and easygoing.

Kuwabara grinned. "Ah, girl talk! I'll bet you two have missed that! 'Kay, I'm just gonna go help sis out in the living room."

The girls nodded and then retreated into Lisa's new room. Once they were inside, they settled down on the bed, sitting cross-legged across from one another.

Lisa grinned at her. "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

Natalie's smile turned a little sheepish. "Let's just start with this... how was _your_ night last night?"

She blinked and shrugged. "It was okay. I cooked supper for Shizuru and Kuwabara to thank them for letting me stay here, and then Kuwabara spent half the night showing me his manga and anime collection. Yours?"

She hesitated. "Mine... was eventful. Now, with the first incident that happened, I'm going to leave out the details of what happened, and just tell you this: The fanfiction writers in our world were right when they portrayed Youko as an insufferable pervert, so be cautious around him when he comes out."

Lisa's eyes went wide. "WHAT?! What happened last night between you and him?!"

She quickly waved it off. "I told you, I'm not getting into the details of it. I don't think he was going to take it too far in the first place, but Hiei stepped in to stop him."

Her eyes bugged out of her skull now. "Hiei AGAIN?!"

Natalie sighed. "Trust me, kiddo... you've got NO idea." She went into an edited version of what had happened after she left Kurama's place last night. And then she went into the conversation she had had with the kitsune just before leaving to come here.

Lisa was staring at her friend for a long moment before she finally broke the silence. "So... you think Hiei wants to... mate with you?"

Natalie shrugged helplessly. "I have no idea what he wants at this point. He's always been complex, but _damn!!_ I haven't got a clue what to make of the way he's been acting lately. Kurama's the one who thinks that he wants to be with me. After what happened last night..." She could only shake her head.

Lisa seemed to think for a long moment and then shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "I wish I could help you out, but you know what I'm like. I know absolutely nothing about relationships or things like that. I can't even tell when a _normal_ guy's trying to make a play for me, much less when someone as complex as Hiei's making a play for someone else..." She frowned a little. "I think Kurama's right when he says Hiei cares for you in some way, though... I mean, he wouldn't have helped you out with those thugs or with Youko if he didn't."

Natalie shrugged. "Well, what ever's going on, I'll figure it out eventually."

Lisa nodded a little dubiously as she tried to figure out what was going on with the hybrid. "Do you think maybe he...?"

The other girl's head jerked up and she quickly motioned for her friend to stop talking. Leaning closer to her, she grinned as she whispered in her ear. "We've got an uninvited guest eavesdropping outside the bedroom door. Just work with me." She gave Lisa a wink and the blond girl steeled herself, knowing exactly what her friend was about to do. She tried to suppress a grin with little success.

"So, anyway," Natalie said in a louder voice, "I met this biker in the bar last night. He was maybe a few years older than me, not too bad looking... Everyone there called him 'Tiny', and I asked him how the hell he got a nickname like that. I mean, this guy was at least Kuwabara's height and built like a frickin' ox on steroids. So he brings me out to the back alley of the bar, and he showed me." She winked at Lisa. "I swear to you, it was _only_ THIS big!!" She held her hand about an inch apart and Lisa had to quickly clamp a hand over her mouth to stop her giggles from coming out.

But when they heard a thud from outside their door, with an unmistakable "Oof!!" the girls both busted out laughing.

"Hey, Kuwabara!! It's not wise to listen in on someone else's conversation!" Natalie called out. "You might hear something you don't want to!!"

Lisa nodded in agreement. "Especially where _Natalie's_ involved!!"

The door opened a moment later and a very red Kuwabara slowly poked his head into the room. He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry... couldn't really resist, ya know? Anyway, I just thought of somethin' and I was wondering if I could ask you girls a question."

They blinked. "Sure. What is it?" Natalie asked.

Kuwabara looked at them. "Well, you say you've watched a lot of stuff about us. Yukina's lookin' for her long lost brother, and I promised her I'd help her find him. I was wondering if you girls know who he is or where we could find him."

Lisa paled slightly and quickly pointed at her friend. "Natalie's seen more of the show than I have! I don't know anything about that!"

Natalie sighed, a cover story quickly coming to her mind. "Well, the series never revealed much about that. It's been suggested that her brother is dead, but that's it."

Kuwabara frowned, thinking a moment and then sighed. "Okay, just thought I'd ask. Oh, and Natalie? Urameshi called wondering if I'd seen you..."

She grinned. "Okay, I'll head out then and let him know I'm still alive." Then she grinned at him. "Speaking of Yukina... when do we get introduced to her and Genkai? Not to mention, I'm dying to see Puu..."

Kuwabara grinned. "Why not tomorrow? You'd be better off asking Urameshi about that, but I think Genkai'd love to meet you girls!"

The girl got to her feet with a smile and a nod. "Okay, I'll head back now."

Then the boy blinked. "Hey, wait a sec... you've never been to my place before! How'd you know how to get here??"

She rolled her eyes. "Same way you guys found me and Lisa... I honed in on your aura. Later guys!" She gave them a wave and headed outside.

--

Yusuke blinked when Natalie walked in through the door, giving a slight sigh of relief. Not that he thought anything had actually _happened _to her, but he had been starting to worry when his mom told him she hadn't come back last night.

"Geez, where the hell were you? Kuwabara said you were at his place this morning, but we haven't heard a thing from you since you left me and Keiko last night!" Then he blinked, catching her scent. His eyes widened and a huge, malicious grin split his face. He cast a glance to where his mom was watching her shows, quickly grabbed Natalie and dragged her into her room.

"Okay, give me the long, gory version! Why do I smell _Hiei_ all over you? Aren't you two moving a little fast?" he asked, his grin still in place.

She turned bright red. "I don't suppose I'll get away with saying nothing happened, will I?" she said, knowing fully well that Yusuke was going to be teasing her mercilessly about this.

His grin widened and he shook his head. "Not a chance in hell. Out with it!"

She sighed heavily and told him everything that had happened to her after she left him and Keiko the night before. Her encounter with Youko, Hiei's rescue, the thugs, the second rescue and then their time in the tree... and at the _base_ of the tree.

As predicted, the Spirit Detective started roaring with laughter.

"Yup, no doubt about it! Our favorite three eyed demon's got a thing for you!" He grinned at her mischievously. "So... you got the names picked out for the kids?"

She turned bright red. "YUSUKE!! Don't you think it's a LITTLE early to be thinking about things like THAT?! I don't even know what's running through Hiei's head, much less if he really _does_ like me that way!"

He rolled his eyes. "You're telling me you were flat on your back last night with Hiei on top of you, and you still don't know how he feels about you?"

She growled. "Look. Kurama thinks Youko's scent mingled with my own and my... arousal is what set him off..."

"It wouldn't have set him off if he didn't feel _something_ for you in the first place. I'm pretty sure his heat cycle's not coming up for a couple months yet, so we can't blame it on _that..."_

She blinked slowly. "Heat... cycle?"

Yusuke nodded. "Yup. Most full blooded demons go through it, some more than others. I think Hiei's comes up every three months. It's a period of time when demons... well... wanna rut with someone. Their inner beast pretty much demands it. Hiei had his last one only a month ago, so I know that's not what caused his behavior last night."

Natalie stared at him for a long moment, and then decided it would be best if she didn't get into that conversation with Yusuke any further than she had already. It would be best to ask Kurama about it later herself, though she wondered why the kitsune hadn't brought that point up with her earlier. Maybe he knew Hiei's cycle too, and just didn't see the need to mention it at the time.

She frowned a moment, thinking. "I'm still wondering why Youko had to pull that stunt in the first place..."

He shrugged. "Knowing him, he noticed Hiei was there while you and Suichi were chatting, and decided to see what his reaction would be. I mean, you told them about that night you spent with Hiei in Rekai, didn't you?"

She turned a little red and nodded. "Yeah... And I guess that _would_ make sense. It sure sounds like something a kitsune like him would do..."

"Yeah, and it also gave Hiei another reason to lick you, so I know you can't be complaining too much..."

She turned bright red again. "YUSUKE!!"

He roared with laughter again. "Sorry, I can't help it! I just think it's awesome that Hiei's got a thing for someone now! And I know he was your favorite out of us, so I know you've gotta feel at least a _little_ something for him!!"

She frowned at him slightly, and then let out a sigh. "Look. I'd be lying through my teeth if I told you I _didn't _like Hiei, alright? But I'm not sure yet just how far those feelings go. And I've got no idea what _he_ wants from _me._ Does he really like me, or was it just lust? Is he looking for a relationship, or is it just a fling? He's not exactly making it easy for me to figure out what it is he wants!"

Yusuke's expression turned serious for the first time. "Okay, I get it. But listen, you've gotta remember... Hiei's _never_ fallen for a girl. And even when his period of heat was coming on, we've never seen him act like this. I think that what's happening, is he _is_ falling for you... hardcore. But the problem is, he's never experienced emotions like those before, and probably just doesn't know how to deal with them. I mean... you know how stubborn he is. He's always saying those feelings are a sign of weakness, so do you really think he'd admit to feeling _anything?_"

She was quiet for a long moment before she let out a sigh. "I guess you've got a point," she said quietly.

He put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry. He'll come around. He always does in the end." He got to his feet and stretched. Then he grinned again. "And when he does come around, it's sure to make for an interesting relationship!"

She turned a little red at the thought of it. Then she shook it off and grinned back at him. "Hey, me and Lisa were wondering when we get to meet Genkai!"

Yusuke shrugged. "Why not tomorrow?"

She smiled broadly now. "Cool!" Then she got a somewhat hesitant and mildly disgusted look on her face. "Oh, and... since Atsuko's _your_ mom... would you mind helping me change my bedding now?"

Yusuke paused at that for a moment, his expression turning, first disgusted, then resigned. "Okay, I'll help. And I'll have a word with her later about keeping that business to her own bed."

Natalie looked at him warily. "You realize she's probably done the same thing in _your_ bed, right?"

Yusuke's expression turned horrified and he let out a shudder. "Okay, we're changing my bedding too, now! Let's get started!"

--

Later that evening, Kurama was walking back home after having visited with Lisa. He had brought her down to a diner a couple blocks from Kuwabara's place and treated her to a snack. Although he had enjoyed her company immensely, Youko was not satisfied.

_Come on, Red, it's obvious she's not getting the hint. You'll have to come right out and either tell her or make a heavy play for her! Next time you see her, just sweep her into your arms and give her a kiss that will have her seeing double for a week!_

Suichi rolled his eyes. _Although I am not adverse to starting a relationship since I am now out of school, and Lisa would certainly be a better selection than any of the other females that were after me before, I don't think it would be appropriate to move so quickly, Youko. If you haven't noticed, she seems to be quite shy._

_All the more reason to go all out! Besides, there isn't a woman alive who could resist us._

Suichi felt his lips quirk slightly. _I take it you're going to say Natalie doesn't count then?_

_...That wasn't even a serious play, and you know it! Besides, she's all hot for Hiei, so she's got him at the top of her priorities._

Suichi shook his head. _Let's not get into that conversation and return to the topic at hand. I will not do anything that could potentially harm my friendship with Lisa. We don't know enough about her yet to know how to approach dating her, or even if she would be a good mate as of this time. We should take things slowly._

_Screw that! Do you know how long I've been waiting to...?!"_

_You've gone twenty years without sex and you'll live if you go a little while longer,_ he said with exasperation. Sometimes he wondered if Youko thought of anything else. _I would like to be with a girl for more than merely your sexual satiation, Youko._

_Hey, you wanna know more about Lisa? Then let's talk to Natalie tomorrow! We gave HER advice, so why don't we get her to return the favor? Besides, it'll likely be a welcome distraction from thinking about Hiei 24/7..._

Suichi nodded. _Now THAT, we can do. Yusuke is bringing her and Lisa to Genkai's tomorrow. We could go along with them and see if we can ask her then._

_Sounds like a plan, Red! Let's go for it!_

_--_

Natalie was tossing and turning in her bed until she finally sat up and grabbed the clock from the nightstand and looked at it with a scowl. 1:22 in the morning.

She stared at it for a long moment and then let out a sigh. "Just two nights with him and he's turned me into a heat junkie already," she muttered irritably before climbing out of her bed with a moan. She quickly threw on a shirt and a pair of jeans, and then grabbed her jacket, deciding to take a walk. Then she paused, recalling what had happened the night before. Looking around, she saw a broom with a heavy handle. Unscrewing the handle from the head of the broom, she tested its weight and balance and decided it would make a good makeshift weapon and headed out the door.

After wandering around aimlessly for about half an hour, she found herself back in the park where she had met up with Kurama the night before and sat down with a sigh on the bench. Normally she slept like a rock. She supposed the stress of their relocation to this world and her ensuing confusion concerning Hiei was taking its toll on her... and the fact that tonight she wasn't leaning against a wonderfully warm, well proportioned body, and didn't have two strong arms holding her close...

She shook her head. Thinking like this was NOT going to help her.

Then again, she thought, being out here in the first place wasn't going to help her too much either. She hadn't had any revelations yet, and she didn't think staying out here any longer would help, so she might as well head back to Yusuke's and try sleeping again.

Snatching up the broom handle, she got to her feet and slowly started her way back.

When she was passing by a bar about five blocks from Yusuke's apartment, three men who looked to be in their mid twenties came out, stinking of booze and obviously drunk off their asses. They eyed her up openly and she sighed when they started making their way toward her.

"Hey, buutiful," the first slurred. "Why don' ya come home with us an' make our night complete?"

She casually held up the makeshift weapon, looking at it. "And to think, I thought I would actually need this tonight. You guys are so piss assed drunk, that even if any of you _have _a gun, you wouldn't be able to hit the broad side of a barn."

A second boy looked at her, his eyes blearily looking her over. "An' why'd we wanna shoot a cute li'l thing like you, sugar?"

She grinned and shrugged. "Because if you morons don't back off, I'm going to have to kick your asses." She gave a few quick experimental twirls to her makeshift boa and took up a fighting stance. "And this time I don't think I'm going to need any rescuing either. I suggest you boys just call a cab and get yourselves home. If you leave me alone and I see you trying to drive home, I'll wind up kicking your asses just for the hell of it."

The three of them chuckled, one of them only barely able to keep his footing. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. It wouldn't take much to bring these morons down.

As she predicted, they started coming for her. Not in the mood to try reasoning with these drunks any more, she decided to just knock them out and be done with it.

She shot forward, and with a series of quick blows to the side of their heads with the boa, the three of them dropped like rocks and she sighed, looking down at them. "I warned you idiots. Not that you'll remember any of this in the morning." She quickly checked them over to make sure that none of them had received a concussion from her blows, and after determining their injuries would not cause them permanent harm, she gave her boa one last twirl and continued on her way.

As she passed by an alley, she heard a voice.

"Why did you stop long enough to look them over? You should have just left the morons alone."

She stopped in her tracks and looked over, seeing Hiei standing right in the mouth of the alley, looking at her coolly, his hands stuffed in his pockets.

She was almost irritated at seeing him again, but decided not to ask him why he was there. "They're way drunk, Hiei. Atsuko doesn't act like an idiot when she's sober, and neither do most people. Those guys that came after me last night were clean and sober, so they got what they deserved, but these guys probably won't even remember what happened tonight. They shouldn't be permanently disabled just because they got drunk and stupid one night."

Hiei crossed his arms. "Hn. You're too soft, onna. If they're not going to remember what happened, then what's the difference if they're permanently injured or not? It would only serve as a reminder to them to be more careful with their actions in the future."

She bristled slightly. "Think whatever you want, Hiei. I'm too tired to argue with you right now. I'm going back to Yusuke's and going to sleep. He's taking me and Lisa to meet Genkai tomorrow, so I think I'm gonna need all the rest I can get. So goodnight." She turned and continued on her way.

She suddenly found Hiei was walking at her side. "If you knew you were leaving early tomorrow, then why didn't you go to bed earlier?"

She sighed. "I did. I just couldn't sleep. I thought a walk would help."

He shrugged. "I'll be waiting for you in your room. My jagan will have you asleep in seconds."

Natalie was about to say 'no thank you,' but Hiei vanished from her side before she could voice her objections. She stopped in her tracks for a moment when she realized Hiei was going to be waiting for her in her room. She thought back on what had happened the night before and wondered if returning home now was the best idea. Then she considered again. It was Yusuke's place, and tonight he was home, so if Hiei _did_ try anything, the Spirit Detective could stop him. Not that she thought Hiei would deliberately try something in Yusuke's house, but with the way his control was lately...

She shook her head with a sigh and continued on her way.

Atsuko was gone, and Yusuke was in bed, so the apartment was silent when she entered and took off her shoes. She hung her jacket up in the closet and took a deep breath, heading up to her room.

She saw Hiei immediately, leaning against the wall, across from the foot of her bed. He had a small smirk on his face as he looked at her. "So, what took you so long?"

She rolled her eyes. "We're not all as fast as you are, Hiei. Sorry to keep you waiting." She made her way to her bed. "Let's just get this over with. I wanna get some sleep tonight so I'm awake when I meet Genkai tomorrow."

Hiei looked at her discarded nightgown sitting on her pillow. "Aren't you going to change first?"

She turned to him in shock, turning bright red. "I'm not going to change while _you're _here!!"

He snorted. "Hn. You ningen onnas and your modesty. It's not as if I've never seen a woman's body before."

She bristled slightly. "Well excuse me if getting naked in front of you isn't at the top of my priorities!!"

His eyes met hers and he smirked. "So it _is_ one of your priorities, then?"

Her blush darkened significantly. "I didn't say THAT!! I..." She couldn't believe she was having this conversation with _Hiei_ of all people!! And she never thought she would see the day when he would actually _tease_ her!! "I can sleep just fine in my street clothes! I don't need to..."

Suddenly her bedroom door opened and a shirtless Yusuke stood there, blinking at them sleepily. "Hey, if you two are gonna make out or whatever, would you mind at least keeping it down? I mean, there are some people in this house who'd like to sleep..."

Natalie's expression immediately turned mortified and enraged. On impulse, she grabbed her pillow and threw it straight into his face as hard as she could. "YOU PERVERT!! Can't you think of ANYTHING but THAT?! We weren't doing ANYTHING!!"

Yusuke caught the pillow and casually tossed it back onto her bed. "Well, it's after three in the morning, and you and Hiei _are_ both alone in your room, so I just figured..." He grinned mischievously at the both of them. Natalie turned even redder and looked as if she was about to try pummeling him herself.

Hiei snorted and crossed his arms. "You thought wrong, detective. Nothing is happening between me and this ningen," he said coolly, sounding mildly irritated.

Yusuke looked at him and grinned. "Well, that's not what _I've_ been hearing..."

Natalie blanched and quickly rushed forward, shoving him out of her room. "Out, out, OUT!! And try knocking next time!! Come into my room like that again, and I'll find a way to kill you myself!!" She quickly slammed the door shut behind him and leaned against it, still blushing madly and looking as if she wished a hole would open up beneath her.

Hiei's arms were crossed now as he looked at her. "What did you tell him?"

She stared at him for a moment and then sighed. "He wanted to know why you were in my room in Spirit World that one night, and then... this morning he smelled your scent on me, and both times he demanded to know what... had happened."

Hiei snorted. "And so you told him." There was the hint of a growl in his voice. "So, Kurama knows, Yusuke knows... Does that oaf know as well?!"

She rolled her eyes. "Kuwabara doesn't have a demon's sense of smell, and he's too dense to figure something like that out on his own. You'd have to spell it out for him, and no, I most certainly did NOT tell him anything. I only told Yusuke because I figured it would be better than letting him come to his own conclusions."

"It seems he's already done THAT," Hiei said coldly.

Natalie looked up at the hybrid and saw his expression was a little cold as he looked at her. She half sighed, half growled. "Look, Hiei. Three in the morning, in my bedroom, is NOT the time or the place to be having this conversation. Especially considering that SOMEONE IS STILL LISTENING IN BEHIND MY BEDROOM DOOR!!" She shouted toward her door, getting more than a little irritated with her lack of privacy. "AND IF HE DOESN'T GET AWAY, I'M GOING TO CAST A NASTY LITTLE SPELL ON HIM!! Yusuke, how many times do you think Keiko would tolerate you telling her 'Sorry, honey, I CAN'T GET IT UP?!'"

There was a terrified yelp on the other side of the door. "Okay, okay!! I'm going, I'm going!!" They heard running footsteps and the sound of a slamming door.

Natalie sat down on the side of her bed heavily and let out a massive sigh, shaking her head warily. Why did everything have to be so damn complicated here?

There was a long moment of silence before she felt a warm hand drop on her shoulder. She looked up with a start and saw Hiei standing in front of her. The coldness in his expression was now gone, and he now looked at her neutrally. "You've been more stressed than you have been letting on, onna. We can continue our discussion another time. Just lay down and I'll get you to sleep."

She nodded in relief. Their weird relationship wasn't something she wanted to get into tonight. Especially with their potential eavesdropper only a couple doors down the hall.

She pulled back the blankets, adjusted her pillow, and settled down, laying on her back. Hiei came up to her side, his red eyes meeting her own for a few seconds before he reached forward, settling his fingers over her temple. His other hand came up to remove his headband, exposing his third eye. Natalie saw it flare brightly for a moment and then she was dead asleep.

--

Hiei sighed irritably once he had gotten the onna to sleep. He had been considering going to the detective for advice, but had decided against it in order to avoid his blasted teasing. But, he had picked up on the situation himself with his demonic senses, and since the woman had given him the details of what had been going on, the hybrid knew there was no avoiding it now.

Shaking his head, he turned away from her and exited out the window. He settled down in the tree right outside her window and looked in at her sleeping form. He had been following the kitsune's advice... following and observing her... trying to determine what his intentions toward her were. He still wasn't clear on what it was he wanted from the onna, but something he had heard her say earlier that night still stayed with him, and he couldn't help it as he felt a small self satisfied smirk come to his face as he remembered her irritated utterance when she had first gotten up that night.

_"Just two nights with him, and he's turned me into a heat junkie already..."_

He didn't need the fox to tell him that those words indicated she liked him more than she was letting on. And for some reason he couldn't discern, that gave him a good feeling.

He shook his head. Later. He'd think more on these matters another time. For now, he should just get a couple hours of sleep himself. Leaning against the trunk of the tree, Hiei closed his eyes and settled in for the night.

**Please R&R!! **


	17. Chapter 17

**It's an update!! Wow!! Here's chapter seventeen everyone!! I hope you enjoy it and the wait was worth it!! With work and the holidays coming up, I have no idea when the next chapter's going to be uploaded, but I'll try getting more up as quickly as I can!!**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, only my own characters, Natalie and Lisa.**

Lisa shifted her weight impatiently from one foot to the other. Kurama stood a few feet off to her left, watching her with a somewhat amused expression on his face, while Kuwabara leaned against a brick wall nearby, looking bored.

"What's taking her so long?" she finally said in exasperation. "Natalie's NEVER late!!"

Kurama smirked. "But she's with Yusuke right now, and he is ALWAYS late. Don't worry, they'll be here."

As soon as those words had left his mouth, they heard approaching voices.

"That stunt this morning really wasn't necessary!!" Yusuke growled.

Natalie rolled her eyes. "Hey, it was your mom's idea! And besides, how the hell was I to know that you sleep naked?! Your mom withheld that information from me, so don't go blaming me!"

"And why the hell were you on TOP of me?!"

"I told you, you GRABBED me and PULLED me on top of you!! If that blanket wasn't covering you, I would've been traumatized! Stick with Keiko, and leave me out of your night time fantasies!"

This time Yusuke rolled his eyes. "MY night time fantasies? What about you and Hiei, huh? The two of you were making quite a bit of noise in YOUR bedroom last night..."

Natalie turned bright red and her face turned enraged. "I TOLD YOU THAT NOTHING HAPPENED AND TO NEVER BRING THAT UP AGAIN, YOU PERVERT!!! One more word about it and you'll know the meaning of the word 'LIMP', you got me, buster?!"

Remembering her previous threat the night before, Yusuke quickly shut his mouth, but glowered the rest of the way to where the others were.

Kurama seemed to be very much amused by their argument, though his eyebrows quirked slightly Natalie's 'limp' threat. He was also very much curious about Yusuke's comment about Hiei being with the woman in her room the night before, but decided that questions could wait until later.

The kitsune smiled as they approached. "Problems this morning?"

They each pointed at the other. "It's his/her fault!" they said as one, before glaring at each other.

"What do you mean, it's MY fault?!" Natalie demanded. "If you had gotten up on time in the first place..."

"Well, if YOU hadn't come into my room and climbed on top of me..." Yusuke started to counter.

Her eyes blazed. "You wrapped your arm around me and PULLED me on TOP of you!! How many times do I have to say it?! And then you still wouldn't wake up, so I dumped the ice water on you, like your MOTHER suggested!! Then you rolled out of bed, landed on TOP of me, and then STOOD UP!!" She shuddered.

Yusuke grinned lewdly. "Why are you complaining? You got an eyeful, didn't you? Keiko's never complained about..."

She turned redder than a beet. "I DON'T WANT TO THINK ABOUT IT!!!! KEEP IT UP AND YOU'LL BE SUFFERING ABSTINENCE FOR THE NEXT SIX MONTHS!!"

Yusuke's expression turned horrified, and then he crossed his arms, pouting.

Kurama chuckled, definitely wanting to hear the whole story later now. "As entertaining as this is, we should get going. I believe the girls are both eager to meet Genkai."

Yusuke, seemingly relieved at the change of the subject, nodded immediately. "Okay, then let's get going."

The five of them got on a bus and rode for almost a full hour before stopping a few miles outside of the city. Then they walked down a gravel road until they came to a set of stairs going up a large hill.

The girls both looked up in some measure of awe.

"You know," Natalie said, taking in the sight, "seeing it on TV, and then seeing it for real are two entirely different things..."

Lisa nodded. "Yeah... I don't think I've ever seen so many steps before..."

Yusuke grinned. "Well, the sooner we get going, the sooner we'll get to the top!" He started marching up the stairs, Kuwabara right on his heels.

Natalie and Lisa exchanged a look, shrugged, and started up as well, Kurama right behind them.

It took them a full half hour to reach the top of the steps. Both girls were out of breath, and Yusuke had a scowl on his face.

"Why can't Grandma put an escalator or something here?! I get enough exercise fighting demons, without having to kill myself climbing the Stairway of Death!!"

"Because, dimwit, unlike you, some people may actually appreciate a good workout," came a voice from up a head. Looking up, the group of them saw Genkai approaching, her arms clasped behind her back.

Natalie and Lisa had to resist the urge to smile.

The old woman looked at the two girls coolly, and then turned her attention back to Yusuke. "You're bringing tourists here now, dimwit?"

Yusuke glowered at her slightly, and Kurama spoke up before he could. "Actually, Genkai, these two girls were a significant part of our last case. There is much more to them than meets the eye, I can assure you."

Genkai looked at the two girls more critically, her eyes staying on Natalie the longest. The girl shifted a little uncomfortably under her scrutinizing gaze.

The old woman shifted her attention to the three boys. "Okay, you have my attention. Let's go inside so you can explain."

Nodding, the five of them headed to the temple, Hiei appearing seemingly out of nowhere to join them on the way inside.

Upon entering, they met up with Yukina, who greeted them with her usual smile in place. And then she blinked and her smile widened a little. "Oh, you brought friends over!" She looked at Genkai. "Shall I make up some tea, Genkai?"

The old woman smiled at her and nodded. "That would be lovely, Yukina. Thank you. We'll be in the sitting room."

Smiling sweetly, she gave them a short bow and headed off into the kitchen.

Moments later, once they had settled into the sitting room, the Ice Maiden returned with a tray of tea, handing it out. Then she seated herself on the couch beside Kuwabara, much to his apparent delight. Neither of them noticed the scowl Hiei sent their way.

Genkai looked at them. "Now that we're settled in, let's hear your explanation. Why does this woman," she asked, indicating Natalie, "have a significant amount of spirit energy, and an unusual aura?"

Yusuke grinned. "Grandma, this is Natalie, and Lisa," he said, indicating each girl. "The both of them are from another dimension."

Genkai looked at the two girls once again, one eyebrow elevated. Then she looked back at her student. "Explain, dimwit."

Kurama took the initiative then, telling Genkai the details of their last case. Then Natalie took up the narrative to explain how it was possible that they were from a cartoon show in their world.

Genkai and Yukina both listened in great interest, and then the old woman leaned back a moment later and lit up a cigarette. She looked at Natalie. "So now you're both trapped here in our world?"

She nodded. "That's right. One of the laws of this realm is what got us here in the first place, and that same law prevents us from returning home. At least physically."

Yusuke cut in then. "The girls both really wanted to meet you and Yukina, so we agreed to bring them down here. Besides, with their new situation, I think they could use all the friends they can get."

The old woman smirked. "Well, for once we actually agree on something. You girls are welcome here any time."

They both grinned broadly. "Thank you, Genkai-sama!"

She nodded. "Alright, and now that we've gotten those explanations out of the way... I think it's time for you to get in some training, dimwit."

Yusuke grumbled irritably under his breath for a moment and then nodded. He got to his feet with a sigh and looked at her. "Out back again?"

She nodded wordlessly and headed out the back. Everyone else quickly followed.

Lisa stepped up to Natalie as they walked. "We get to see Yusuke's training in person! How cool is that?" she said quietly.

Natalie nodded with a grin on her face. "Definitely! It'll also give me ideas on how to train myself better, since Master Yamaguchi's still back in our own dimension."

Once they were in the large field out back of the temple, Genkai looked at Yusuke again. "How about we start you off with a spar. Any of your friends like to volunteer?"

Something flashed behind Hiei's eyes as he stepped forward, a small smirk on his face. "Allow me."

Yusuke grinned broadly and shrugged.

Genkai motioned for them to go further into the field. "Go over there to fight and please try not to destroy my grounds."

Everyone else seated themselves on the lawn as the two demons went to their fighting area.

Yusuke grinned down at Hiei. "So, is this your way of exacting revenge on me?"

"You weren't really asleep, detective. Your actions weren't necessary this morning. You were hoping your methods would provoke me, obviously."

He shrugged easily and got a mischievous smirk on his face. "Well, it worked for Youko. I just thought I'd give it a shot myself... only I wasn't about to go kissing her. Don't get me wrong, though. She's gorgeous, but Keiko'd kill me for sure. I'm just disappointed that it didn't work."

Hiei stopped and fixed Yusuke with a half glare. "Just what were you hoping to achieve?"

Yusuke rolled his eyes. "You still haven't figured it out yet, have you? Think about it, Hiei. Why are you so pissed that I was on top of Natalie this morning? Why did you damn near completely lose control of yourself when you guys were in the tree the other night? Why did you go rank on Youko after he pulled his stunt? And why were you letting Natalie cuddle up to you that night in Spirit World? Every single one of those things is so entirely out of character for you, that I'm shocked you're not aware of it yourself!"

Hiei ignored the first two observations, and simply addressed the third one. "Natalie has had a difficult past when it comes to men. It is not my place to tell you the details of her encounters with them, but needless to say, Youko's aggressive approach terrified her. Also, I was not aware of just how far he might go, and if that fox steps out of line, Koenma would have him locked up in no time. I felt it best to stop him just in case."

"And the other times?" Yusuke pressed, wondering about Natalie's past himself now, but deciding it would probably be best if he didn't ask.

"The other times are none of your concern, detective. I will deal with these issues without your assistance." In one smooth movement, he removed his cloak. "Now let's get this 'spar' underway," he said with a somewhat malicious smirk on his face.

______________

Natalie was seated between Lisa and Genkai on the lawn. Genkai was currently talking quietly to Kuwabara and Yukina, while her friend was speaking animatedly to Kurama. The young witch was only half listening to Lisa and Kurama's conversation, and was mostly fixated on the two figures in the middle of the field.

Yusuke and Hiei seemed to be having a small chat before their spar, and at the moment the girl really wished she had super hearing. After Yusuke's comments the night before, she was a little wary about what he might be saying to Hiei... and curious about what the little fire demon might be saying in return.

Hiei seemed to quickly grow bored with the conversation, however, and had evidently decided it was time to get their fight underway. He removed his cloak in one swift move.

Natalie's eyes widened and her heart rate sped up.

Hiei wasn't wearing a shirt today.

She felt her face heat up.

Kurama paused mid sentence when he suddenly smelled Natalie become aroused. Blinking, he looked past Lisa to see the young woman staring at the two fighters out on the field. Genkai also seemed to have taken notice of Natalie's behavior and was observing her as well.

Lisa blinked, turning to see her friend. "Natalie? Are you okay?" she asked, not able to tell what it was that was distracting her friend.

Natalie didn't even hear the question. Her eyes were now fixed on the compact form of Hiei on the other side of the field. His well proportioned chest, strong arms, and... oh Kami, look at those abs!!

She opened her mouth and two words escaped.

"Oh, yum..." she murmured appreciatively, staring at Hiei.

All attention was now on her, Kuwabara's eyes wide in shock and disbelief, Genkai with one eyebrow elevated in deep interest, Lisa's expression one of dawning realization, Yukina's expression curious and Kurama's both amused and deeply interested.

Natalie then blinked, seeing everyone staring at her. Her eyes went enormous and her hands flew over her mouth as she turned bright red. "Oh no!! I just said that out loud!!" She let out a cry of mortification and shot off into the forest without another word, leaving her companions behind.

Kuwabara stared after her. "Was she talking about the shrimp?!" he asked in disbelief.

Genkai looked from where the girl had been to where Hiei was making a very real effort to inflict bodily harm on Yusuke. "I think she was, but I also believe it is none of our business. She obviously didn't mean to speak aloud."

Kurama nodded, taking note that Natalie had rushed straight into Genkai's cursed forest. "I believe you are right. We were not supposed to hear that, and it would be for the best if we kept this to ourselves. There is no need to further embarrass her." He got to his feet. "I'll go keep an eye on her since she raced into the cursed forest. Although she is a fighter, she is inexperienced and may run into some trouble in there."

Lisa smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks. Natalie's not used to being embarrassed, and I think this whole Hiei situation is getting to her."

The kitsune nodded before fixing Kuwabara with a glare, putting some of Youko's presence behind it. "Kuwabara... you are NOT to mention this incident to Hiei." Once he saw the humans face pale significantly, he turned and headed off after the girl.

The moment he was gone, Kuwabara turned his attention to the blond girl. "Okay, Lisa! What's going on? I know you know something!"

The girl fidgeted slightly and turned red. "I can't tell you. Natalie would kill me."

Kuwabara looked ready to blow a gasket. "How come I'm the only one who never knows about these things?!"

Genkai calmly lit up another cigarette and regarded him coolly. "I don't know what's going on either, moron, and neither does Yukina. We're simply a victim of circumstance, and quite frankly, this is none of our concern. If Natalie wishes to come to us to speak to us about it, then so be it, but until then, we'll have to suffer and observe from the sidelines. Live with it."

__________________

The moment Natalie entered the forest with the aura of danger, she headed in the direction her instincts were telling her not to go, determined to release some aggression. She found Baldor and his minions... the flying bat things that Yusuke had fought when he was trying to become Genkai's student.

She immediately set about trying to beat the crap out of anything with wings that came within five feet of her, allowing herself to release some of the frustration and anger she had been letting build up inside of her. After doing this for about ten minutes, as she was focusing on an opponent in front of her, she became aware that two more were approaching from the air behind her, claws extended.

She cursed and dropped, avoiding a deadly blow, and instead only getting nicked on her upper arm. The creatures turned to make another sweep at her, and Natalie was trying to figure out a way to counter their attacks, when a green, thorny vine cleanly sliced one of the creatures in half.

Holding her injured arm, still crouched in a defensive position on the ground, Natalie turned and saw Kurama standing there, his features stony as he looked at the creatures. Once Baldor and his minions spotted what had killed their comrade, they immediately let out numerous screeches and cries as they took wing, vanishing into the forest.

Satisfied that they were now alone, Kurama approached her and knelt down to her eye level. "Let me see your arm."

Natalie sighed. "I'm fine, Kurama. He barely nicked me, and..." she trailed off when she saw the serious expression on his face. Scowling slightly, she rolled up the sleeve to reveal the wound to him.

The kitsune quickly used a plant to ensure the wound would not get infected and wrapped it, making a mental note to ask Yukina or Genkai to heal it fully later.

"Are you all right?" he asked gently.

Natalie's face twisted slightly. "No, I'm not all right! Just dig me a hole so I can crawl into it and die of embarrassment, please!" She buried her face in her hands. "I can't believe I said that out LOUD!"

Kurama chuckled. "I found it quite amusing, actually..." The rest of his words died in his throat at the glare she sent his way. He quickly cleared his throat. "It could have been worse. At least Hiei and Yusuke never heard it."

Natalie had a brief mental image of Hiei overhearing her comment and shivered. She had no idea what his reaction would be if he should ever find out.

The kitsune looked at her when it became evident she had nothing to say. "I was actually hoping to get you alone so we could talk in private today."

The girl blinked and looked up at him curiously. "Really? About what?"

The red head made himself comfortable on the ground across from her and fixed her with a serious look. "I wish to court Lisa and have thus far been unsuccessful in making my intentions clear to her."

Natalie's eyes widened and the kitsune felt a sinking sensation in the pit of his stomach when he saw a devious smile slowly spreading across her face. It was an expression he became painfully familiar with in his years of enduring Yusuke's teasing, and he had a feeling that the detective and the girl across from him were either going to be very good friends, or were going to kill each other in the months and years ahead.

"Ohhhh, so the great Kurama is having problems in nabbing the attention of a girl, is he? And came to me, of all people, for advice?"

Kurama sighed inwardly. Yup, she and Yusuke were definitely much the same. "Something like that, yes. Now, are you willing to help me or not?"

She looked at him as if he had grown a second head. "What're you, nuts? Of COURSE I'm going to help you! I've been trying to get that girl a man for years, and who better than you?"

He breathed a barely perceptible sigh of relief. "Thank you. Now then, how would one go about trying to get the message across that they are interested in her?"

Natalie snorted. "With great difficulty. You're not the first guy who showed an interest in her, but she's just too... naive to figure it out. Her father basically sheltered her for the first half of her teenage years, not wanting her to be influenced by sexual thoughts."

His eyes narrowed. "To what degree was she sheltered?"

She took in a deep breath. "Well, if you want an example, when she was fifteen, only a couple months after I first met her, she came up to me and asked me plain as day, 'Natalie, what's a blow job?'"

His eyes went enormous and he could tell Youko was experiencing a first. The infamous thief was caught between seething in anger and laughing himself sick. "Are you serious?!"

She nodded with a sigh. "Yup. Her old man fucked her up something awful, let me tell you. I had to give the poor girl the whole sex talk, and her dad was pissed when he found out! That's one bastard I'm glad I won't be seeing again." She muttered something that would be incomprehensible to normal humans, but was easily picked up by the kitsune. "Fucking abusive asshole..." She cleared her throat. "Thankfully, she wasn't disgusted by the information, just put off by it, so I'm telling you right now, if it's sex you're after, you're going to have to wait a while. With Lisa, patience is going to be key to winning her over. So baby steps are a must. Take... things... slow."

Kurama couldn't help but wince at the string of curses and protests coming from Youko. Natalie blinked, seeing his expression, and couldn't help but smile sweetly.

"I take it someone doesn't like my advice?"

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "Youko finds it to be... questionable," he said, deciding to word it as politely as possible.

She snorted, holding back a laugh. "Well, if he doesn't like it, that's just tough. Facts are facts, and if he even tries to make a heavy play on her, then you guys will lose any chance of ever getting together with her. I guarantee it. She absolutely detests people who come on really strong."

Kurama winced again, and then sighed. "All right, Natalie. Then tell me what you, in all your great wisdom, suggest," he said, his voice lowering to Youko's tone, and his eyes flickering golden. He allowed a sly smile to cross his features. "We all know that I do enjoy a good challenge."

She looked at him coolly. "Good. Then you can challenge yourself to keep it in your pants for a while. Because you won't be getting into Lisa's in the near future unless hell freezes over." She ignored the look he gave her and cleared her throat. "All right, on to the advice."

Youko retreated and listened silently from within his avatar as he made himself more comfortable.

Natalie looked at him. "Okay, you've got a lot in your favor. You're _very_ attractive, polite when you're not killing someone, and your manners are immaculate. In addition to that, you are also highly intelligent and I'm sure you can carry on an decent conversation with her without your eyes wandering to her chest. Now, the first thing you have to know is Lisa is very shy. In fact, I don't think words could describe just how shy she is. If you kissed her on the cheek, she'd probably have a system overload and drop dead from shock. This is just another reminder to take things slow. Just to make sure Youko gets that through his perverted, sex crazed mind."

"I will do my best to keep him in line," Kurama said dryly. "Now, your advice?"

She shrugged. "Well, taking her out is a great way to start, and a few gifts wouldn't hurt either. Now, don't go over board by buying her something that could pay for a year of university or something like that. Lisa's not a materialistic girl. She appreciates simple things. And while she's not normally a huge fan of flowers because they tend to wither and die within a day or two of getting them, I think she would make an exception in your case since your powers would undoubtedly allow the plants to live much longer than ones that are store bought. Correct?"

At his nod, she continued. "Okay, don't be too obvious in the beginning. Lisa's not going to want to move fast even when she finds out that you're romantically interested in her. Just take her out and get to know her. If you want to give her incentive to go out with you, you'll have to know the sorts of things that she really likes. If you're bringing her out for something to eat, in the beginning I would keep it to bakeries. That girl's got a huge sweet tooth for pastries and would crawl over red hot coals to get a slice of cheesecake. Once you guys establish that you're both mutually interested in one another, I suggest bringing her out to places that serve traditional Japanese cuisine. Lisa's always been interested in Japanese culture and would undoubtedly appreciate getting to try something new."

She paused to make sure he was getting all of this. She knew he probably was, but Natalie just wanted to make sure that all of it was being absorbed. Kurama nodded at her to continue.

"All right... for dates that involve entertainment... for movies, definitely horrors. Lisa... loves... Japanese horror movies. Or, if there is nothing available in the theaters that happens to fit that particular genre, then take her out to traditional shows and plays." She thought for a moment and then smiled. "I know! She's always wanted to see Kabuki Theater live! Being from Canada, we were only ever able to see snippets of them over the Internet."

The fox smiled a little shrewdly. "Well, that is definitely something to keep in mind. You're guaranteed to find those all over Japan around this time of year. Any other suggestions?"

She nodded. "Historical sites and museums are also a great idea. As I said, she's always been fascinated by Japanese culture and so she'd definitely appreciate it. Also, seeing as how you're a 1000 year old kitsune, I'm sure you'll be able to give her lessons on history that she'd never get from any one else."

Natalie leaned back and thought for a moment. "Let's see, what else? Oh! Important point here," she said, fixing him with a look of her own. "If you want to give her simple compliments, that's fine. Stuff like, 'I love your new hairstyle', or something like that. But don't go overboard. Lisa and I both have this horrible hatred for guys that go on long spiels of how gorgeous a girl is and don't shut up for like ten minutes. And if you're the sort of guy who would even consider writing poetry or ode's of love for her... DON'T. Being sappy or overly complimentary is NOT going to impress her. In fact, I don't think it impresses a lot of girls... which is probably why Kuwabara's not getting anywhere with Yukina, but that's an entirely different matter."

He nodded. "Although I am not adverse to complimenting women on their appearance, I find it more satisfying to compliment them on their intellect. Although physical beauty does help, I am more attracted to women who are capable of carrying on an intelligent conversation."

She smiled. "Good answer! No wonder the girls were all over you in school. There's nothing more satisfying than a man who can appreciate a woman's brains." She pursed her lips in thought. "Okay, quick question... what are your views on the roles of women in society?"

He blinked, a little surprised at this question. "Well, if you're asking if I think women are in any way beneath men, then the answer is no. If a woman wishes to work, then it is her decision and I would certainly have no objections."

She breathed a sigh of relief. "Okay, that's very good. If you were one of those assholes who insisted a woman's place was at home in the kitchen and taking care of the kids 24/7, I would've reamed you out." She shrugged. "Okay, you've got all the info I can think of that would help you for the time being. Do you have any more questions?"

Kurama considered for a moment and then shook his head. "I believe I can take things from here, but if I do have any questions in the future, I will be sure to come to you."

Natalie nodded. "Okay. But now, if I may ask a few questions of _you?_"

Blinking curiously, the fox nodded. "Of course. What can I help you with?"

She smiled a little mischievously. "The other morning when we were discussing my dilemma with Hiei, why didn't you mention anything about demon heat cycles?"

His eyes widened. "How did you hear about...?"

"Yusuke mentioned them to me," she said, cutting him off.

He nodded, seeming to accept this answer. Then he shrugged. "Well, Hiei's last one passed only a month ago, and will not come again for another couple of months. I did not think it had a bearing on the conversation we were having at the time."

She nodded thoughtfully, and frowned. "Yusuke mentioned that, too. So... when his heat cycle _does_ come again in a couple months... what can I expect?"

Kurama was quiet for a long moment, deep in thought. "To be perfectly honest, I am not sure just how profound an effect the heat cycle has on Hiei. He is a hybrid, and I think only he and perhaps Mukuro knows. If the situation between the two of you is resolved by then, and the two of you are together, then I see no problems. If the two of you have decided it would be best to NOT be together, then it is likely he will simply go to Makai for a few days to relieve himself of his temptations there. However, if neither of those is the case, then I'm afraid I have no idea what he may do. It is something you may have to approach Hiei about yourself."

Natalie's eyes went huge at the thought of asking Hiei about the effects of his heat cycle. The outcome of such a conversation could not end well. "Um... I think I'll just hope the situation has resolved itself by then. And if it hasn't, I'll just handcuff myself to Yusuke so he can protect me if Hiei goes nuts over me."

Kurama chuckled. "And speaking of Yusuke, I am very much interested in what transpired between the two of you this morning... and exactly why he mentioned you and Hiei being alone in your room last night. And then there was your threat of making him go 'limp'?"

She sighed heavily. "I should have known you were going to bring this up." She shook her head. "Okay... this morning I woke up at eight in the morning. By the time I had finished getting ready to come here, it was past nine, and Yusuke was still sound asleep in his room. He wouldn't even answer when you tried shouting at him through the door, so his mother suggested I go in there and wake him up by dumping a glass of ice water on him. She even got the ice water for me!"

Kurama smirked. It sounded like something Atsuko would do.

"I go into his room and see him splayed out on his back on the bed, his blanket just covering him from the belly down. I didn't want to be cruel, so I just set the glass of water on the nightstand, and tried shaking him awake so he could get ready and we could get a move on. _His_ response was to wrap his arm around my waist and just yank me on top of him!!"

Suichi and Youko were both laughing at this point. They could just imagine the situation unfolding in their mind.

"I tried getting away from him, but he wasn't letting me go! Then he started _sniffing my hair_ and that's when I grabbed the glass of ice water and just dumped it on him." She hesitated. "Well, he woke up. He screamed like a choir girl and rolled off of the bed, and I found myself pinned between him and the floor. When he saw it was me, he scrambled to get off of me, and then..." She shuddered.

Kurama, trying desperately at this point to keep his expression straight once more, looked at her coyly. "And then you discovered that he sleeps in the nude?"

She scowled and nodded. "You'd think Atsuko would let me in on something like that... Now let's never speak of it again."

Chuckling, Kurama nodded, deciding that teasing her lightheartedly about Hiei was enough. "And, the fact that Hiei and yourself were alone in your room last night? And the limp comment?"

Sighing, Natalie brought him up to date on the occurrences last night between herself, Hiei and the detective.

When she finished her narrative, the fox was very much amused and intrigued. "Hiei was _teasing_ you?"

She was unsuccessfully fighting off a blush as she nodded.

Seeing the redness in her cheeks, Kurama couldn't help but smirk. "So, is one of your priorities to get naked in front of him?"

She looked up with an expression of shock, her face turning a blazing red immediately. "KURAMA!!!!!!"

His chuckles gave way to outright laughter. The fox couldn't help but be amused by two people so obviously attracted to one another refusing to acknowledge their feelings. However, keeping in mind her threat to Yusuke (and having a feeling it wasn't a bluff), the kitsune decided it would be best to keep his teasing to a minimum. If Natalie were ever to thoughtlessly cast a spell that would have such effects on Youko... Suichi shuddered at the thought of what the infamous thief would do once he got his hands on the young witch.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist." He cleared his throat and composed himself. "It is good that the two of you had an encounter without Hiei experiencing questionable control, however."

She nodded. "Yeah, I was worried when he told me he would be waiting for me in my bedroom. Fortunately, all I had to put up with was his teasing, and Yusuke barging in. After we talked for a couple minutes and I got rid of Yusuke for good, he was strangely..." she searched for the right words.

"Courteous?" Kurama asked.

She blushed again and nodded. "Yeah."

Kurama gave her a gentle smile. "You bring out a rare side to Hiei and that shows that he likes you. Do you still have doubts about that?"

She hesitated. "I guess it still has a surreal feeling to it. And I'm trying not to get my hopes up. I've had more than my fair share of disappointment when it comes to relationships and I don't want to set myself up for another one."

His smile grew by a small fraction as he once again gently took hold of her hand, rubbing the back of it with his thumb. "Considering your history in the romance department, it's not surprising you'd be a little hesitant to get into a relationship now. However, I for one believe that you are due to have a wonderful fulfilling relationship of your own. And I think Hiei, despite his own flaws, would be the one to give you just that."

Natalie turned red once more, as the fox removed his hand from her own and got to his feet. "We should be heading back now. We've been out here for quite some time, and the last thing we want is for them to think something happened to us."

Nodding, she got to her feet, but then froze, remembering the incident that caused them to be in the forest in the first place. She moaned.

Kurama blinked, looking at her. "Is something wrong, Natalie?"

She sighed. "Last night Hiei was upset that you and Yusuke know about our issues. Now Kuwabara's getting hints about it. The last thing I need is Hiei finding out about _that..."_

Kurama smiled gently. "Not to worry. I warned him to not speak about the incident to Hiei."

Her expression didn't change as she continued looking at him. "Did you warn him to keep his trap shut around Yusuke, too?"

The fox froze, and then let out a sigh himself. "Let's hope that he didn't bring the subject up yet. If he did, hopefully the worst you'll have to endure is teasing from Yusuke."

Natalie considered this and sighed dejectedly. "Let's get back there... and if Kuwabara said a word...." She let her words trail off.

Nodding, the kitsune led her back the way he had come.

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Natalie was a little surprised to see Yusuke sporting several rather painful looking, but not life threatening, wounds. He was currently being looked over (while simultaneously being reamed out) by Genkai, while Hiei stood off to the side, his jacket back on, and with only seemingly minor injuries. The hybrid seemed to have a self satisfied smirk on his face.

She blinked as she sat down between Lisa and Kuwabara. "What'd I miss?"

Lisa shrugged. "Hiei used his full speed against Yusuke in the spar. While Yusuke got in a few hits, he got in the most damage overall."

Kuwabara nodded. "Yeah, don't know what ticked off shorty, but Urameshi must've done somethin'..."

Natalie looked at Kuwabara. "Speaking of which... I know Kurama warned you to not speak of my little comment to Hiei, and I trust you're going to honor that. However... you better not mention it to Yusuke either!"

At these words, Kuwabara went white. "Um... oops?"

Her eyes widened. "WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'OOPS?!'"

He laughed nervously. "Well uh... before Genkai went to heal 'im, he came over to me and... well, I had to see if he knew anything..."

Natalie was dead silent for a long moment. Then she smiled sweetly at Yukina. "Yukina, I had a small accident in Genkai's forest," she said, rolling up her sleeve and revealing the wound. "Do you suppose you could heal it for me, please?"  
The blue haired girl smiled and came forward immediately. "Oh, of course!" She knelt beside Natalie and quickly employed her healing abilities.

Once Natalie's wound was healed over, she got to her feet and kept her sweet smile in place. "Kay, you're gonna have another patient in a few moments here. Kuwabara and I are going to spar!"

Kuwabara's eyes went huge. "WHAT?! BUT I CAN'T FIGHT A GIRL!!!"

She put a hand on his shoulder as Genkai finished up with Yusuke and the two of them were now watching the display along with everyone else. "Kuwabara, your sentiments about women is very sweet in theory, but in practice, it's insulting. Especially when I'M A FIGHTER TOO!!"

He paled. "I won't raise my hand to a woman! It goes against my code!!"

She grabbed him by the collar of his jacket and started dragging him out to the field. "Fine, you don't have to hit me then. All you have to do is block and dodge! Just makes my job easier!"

Kuwabara let out little whimpers as he was dragged away.

Kurama and Lisa watched the exchange without saying a word. Yukina sat beside them, a curious expression on her face.

"Is she going to hurt Kazuma-kun?" she asked a little warily.

Kurama smiled at her reassuringly. "Not seriously, Yukina. You have no need to worry. Natalie just needs to vent some frustrations."

Still curious, but deciding not to push the matter, Yukina nodded. As long as Kuwabara wasn't going to be seriously harmed, she found no reason to object.

The fox then turned to the blond woman at his side. "So, Lisa. A new bakery opened only a couple blocks from my place a few days ago. They're having special sales on all their pastries. Would you like to join me to try it out after we leave Genkai's?"

The woman's head whipped toward him, and he saw a gleam of interest within them. She smiled brightly and nodded. "Sure! I'd love to!"

Smiling, the two of them looked out to the field where Natalie was making a very real effort to inflict bodily harm on a scrambling Kuwabara.

Genkai and Yusuke joined them on the lawn and watched the display in interest. The detective smirked. "Heh. Guess she found out Kuwabara blabbed to me about her little 'comment.'"

Kurama sent him a warning look. "I strongly advise you against teasing her about it, Yusuke. She didn't mean to come out and say it. And she also mentioned to me a little 'warning' she issued should you not heed this warning. I believe it involves a prolonged state of being abstinent?"

Paling somewhat, Yusuke grumbled irritably under his breath and nodded. "I'll try, but I can't make any promises. I mean, a situation like this one only comes up once in a life time!"

Hiei was suddenly there, his arms crossed as he looked down on them. "Am I missing something?"

Kurama smiled up at him innocently. "Nothing of importance, Hiei. No need to concern yourself."

The hybrid's eyes narrowed significantly as he continued looking at them. Then he hn'd and returned to his place leaning against a tree to watch Natalie as she beat the royal crap out of Kuwabara. He rose an eyebrow. Something had definitely ticked the onna off, and he had a feeling the others knew what it was. He allowed a small smirk to come to his face.

Well, with his jagan eye, it wouldn't take long to find what they were hiding from him. People should know better than to try concealing secrets from the forbidden child.

**Please R&R!!!! ^_^**


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay, I know it's been a while, but I didn't have my own computer for a few months there. But now I'm back and will hopefully be updating every few days from this point on!! I kept you all waiting for a while, but finally, here is Chapter 18!!**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho, only Natalie and Lisa.**

**______________________**

Shortly after Natalie had finished unleashing her anger on Kuwabara, and the human got healed by Yukina, the group of them decided they had best head out once more. Genkai fixed Yusuke with a look and told him in no uncertain terms that he had better show up again sometime that week for more training.

Natalie smiled when Lisa told her excitedly that she and Kurama were going to go to a new bakery, but politely declined her offer to join them. Giving the kitsune a shrewd wink when Lisa wasn't looking, she went along with Yusuke and Kuwabara. She looked around herself briefly, wondering a little uneasily where Hiei had disappeared to, but shoved the matter from her mind. She couldn't keep worrying about whether or not he was watching her, or what he was up to.

Kuwabara looked at his watch. "Well, I promised sis that I'd go run a few errands for her before she came home from work, so I gotta go now. I'll see you guys later."

Yusuke nodded. "Yup! I've gotta visit with Keiko again. She made me promise the other night, so I'll go hang out with her for awhile." He grinned at Natalie. "So you've got the choice of going back and visiting with Mom or running around town."

She shrugged. "I'll try your place for now. See you tonight, Yusuke."

He nodded. "Yup. Later!"

Natalie slowly made her way back to Yusuke's apartment, taking just a few minutes of her time to do some window shopping on her way. She wasn't too eager to see if Atsuko was still on a binge or not. When she finally got there, she found out she had been worrying for nothing, since Atsuko left a note on the table, stating she was out with friends and she might not be back for a day or two. The young witch shook her head and rolled her eyes, leaving the paper on the table where the Spirit Detective would see it when he came home himself.

Entering her room, she spotted the novel she had been reading and decided to keep on reading it, not really in the mood to go out at the moment. She picked it up, found her place, and settled down on her bed as she started to read.

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Meanwhile, Lisa and Kurama were seated in the bakery he had spoken of, and they were each partaking of a slice of cheesecake. The kitsune had to resist the urge to smirk when he saw the absolutely blissful expression on the woman across from him. Natalie hadn't been kidding when she said her friend was enamored with the pastry. Somehow, it just made her all the cuter.

He had to chuckle when he saw some of the icing from the cake was on her chin. She blinked and looked at him curiously. "What?"

He pointed to his own chin, one eyebrow raised as he smiled knowingly at her. The girl immediately turned a bright red and used a napkin to remove the offending piece of food from her face. She smiled sheepishly at him.

"So, Lisa... you know a great deal about me, but I am curious to get to know some more about you. Tell me, what sorts of things do you enjoy doing in your free time?"

She blinked again, hearing this question and thought for a moment. "Well, I love researching history, especially Japanese history and culture. I also love drawing and reading, mostly fantasy novels, though Natalie's getting me into books that have to do with unexplained phenomena and things like that. She studies things like that because she says it's associated closely with witchcraft." She seemed to think for a moment longer. "I also love watching movies, Japanese horror movies mostly. American horror movies are tame compared to them." Then she blushed slightly and indicated the now empty plate in front of her. "I also love pastries and trying new dishes from around the world."

Youko perked up slightly. _Ah, so we learn something new. Drawing hmmm? Perhaps we could persuade her to let us pose for her?_

_Not now, Youko_, Suichi said absently, knowing exactly what was on the kitsune's mind. He offered Lisa a gentle smile. "So you're interested in learning more about Japanese culture? Have you considered visiting some of the museums here in Tokyo? Or maybe an art gallery or some theater?"

She nodded. "Yeah, I've been thinking about it, but I haven't had the time to find those things yet. There's especially something called kabuki theater that I've been wanting to see live, but I don't have a clue where to start looking for that..."

His smile widened. "Well, I know there's a theater performing kabuki theater only a bus ride from my place on a nightly basis. I could bring you to a show if you like."

Her head perked up immediately hearing this and she looked at him wide eyed. Then she blushed slightly and started playing with a fold on the tablecloth a little shyly. "Well, if you wouldn't mind, I would _really_ love to go. As long as it's not interfering with any other plans or anything..."

Kurama chuckled again. "It's no problem at all, I can assure you. I would be only too happy to take you. Introducing you to our culture would actually give me something to do between missions from Koenma." He gave her his most winning smile, and she turned bright red.

She somehow managed to shake off the blush and nodded eagerly, a fully appreciative smile coming to her face. "Okay, then! I'd love to go!"

He returned her smile. "Very well, then. Once we're finished in here, I can bring you home so you can get changed, and then we'll head to my place before we go."

She nodded once more. "Great!"

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Kuwabara, meanwhile, was trying to keep his composure with very little success as he was currently in the feminine aisle of the local grocery store, alternating between glaring at the list Shizuru had left for him, to the products on the shelf in front of him. If anybody he knew came in and saw him buying feminine pads, he was going to die of mortification.

Spotting the brand his sister used, he quickly snatched it off the shelf and brought it to the counter, giving the scrawny male cashier a look that dared him to laugh, even though the former punk was blushing to the roots of his hair. Paying, he left without a word and sighed an immense sigh of relief now that his purchase was now safely hidden in a bag and he could simply make his way home.

On his way, he couldn't help but replay the incident with Natalie over in his mind and shook his head in disbelief once more. What a cute girl like her could possibly see in the shrimp was beyond him, and yet he had heard her comment as clear as day. Thinking about the incident and the expression of complete embarrassment when she realized she'd said that little word aloud, he was thankful that Hiei hadn't been there to hear it for himself. Natalie probably would have found a cliff and jumped off of it if he had.

The human paused a moment, thinking back over what little he'd seen of their interactions. They'd had that big fight that first time. Natalie had been downright livid at the shrimp then. Of course, Kuwabara still didn't have a clue exactly what had prompted her to attack him in the first place. He guessed Hiei just had that sort of effect on people. But then... the night after that one, he'd been in Natalie's room, right WITH her. In fact, he'd told them that if he and Urameshi went in there, he'd kill them both. Were she and the shorty....?

Kuwabara turned bright red and felt slightly nauseated that he'd almost finished that thought. KAMI!! This was HIEI he was thinking about!! Besides, if the shrimp _had_ done something like that, he was sure the whole of Spirit World would have known about it. So there definitely hadn't been any sex.

He shook his head as he continued on his way. "If there's something between the two of them, it's the most fucked up relationship I've ever seen," he muttered to himself. Had he been paying attention or glanced up, he might have caught sight of a black blur leaving the branch of a tree.

___________________________

Natalie relished the feel of the hot water as it trickled down her skin, soothing a few minor pains she had acquired from her day out with the Rekai Tentai. Once she heard Yusuke come back inside twenty minutes ago, she had decided she had best have her shower now before he could call dibs on it himself and dirty the place up.

Feeling very much refreshed and starting to feel a little groggy, but knowing it was still too early for her to go to bed, she decided to just spend the next few hours alone in her room and finish reading that book.

She exited the shower and, after drying her hair, she wrapped herself in a towel and exited the bathroom. She gave Yusuke, who was sitting on the couch watching wrestling, a quick wave and headed into her bedroom.

"Hn. Took you long enough, onna," said a voice from behind her.

Having someone in her room was the last thing she expected. Natalie let out a screech of alarm and whirled. Upon seeing that her uninvited guest was Hiei, she breathed a sigh of relief. "Hiei, for once in your life, would it kill you to use the door? Or to at least knock before you come in so I KNOW you're here?"

Suddenly her door flung open and Yusuke was there. "What's going on?! I heard you scream! Is everything....?" Then he spotted Hiei, took in Natalie in her towel and that smile spread across his face once more.

"Oh hohoho!! You realize you are technically unclothed in your room with Hiei now, right, Natalie? Jeez, you guys ARE moving fast!" He said, that perverted smile on his face.

Hiei merely rolled his eyes at the detective's antics, while the onna scowled at him. "Yusuke, don't even..."

"Oh, come on, Nat! Don't tell me you're going to try denying it _again!_ I mean, I KNOW what happened at Genkai's today and..."

Hiei blinked when he felt Natalie's power skyrocket and an aura sprang to life around her. At her feet, a small circle of light formed, intricate symbols seemingly rotating within the rim of it. "URAMESHI YUSUKE!!!!!!!" She roared, her patience with the detective finally at an end. She held her arm out toward him as a small wind seemed to pick up just within the circle that she stood. Urameshi stopped and blinked, thinking he maybe pushed it a little too much this time. "You have EXACTLY three seconds to get the FUCK out of my room and OUT of earshot or your sex life is over for the next six months!! One!!" A pause. "TWO!!!!!" Light seemed to emanate from her very pores and the wind seemed to pick up, causing her towel to blow in a dangerously erotic manner. A light seemed to form in her outstretched hand which was currently aimed at Yusuke.

The Detective let out a terrified screech of his own as he vanished from sight. Glancing out the window, the demon saw the detective charging off down the street as if the whole of Demon World was on his tail.

Natalie's aura immediately died down and she smirked. "Hah! I should have pulled that one a LONG time ago! That shut him up really quick!" She let out a small giggle as she headed to her closet and pulled out a bathrobe. "So what are you doing here, Hiei?" she asked a little curiously. She glanced at him and frowned, looking back at the bathrobe. Relatively sure that he wasn't going to run around to take a peek, she kept her back to him as she threw the garment on and allowed the towel to drop to the floor. She didn't catch the barely perceptible motion of Hiei's eyes as they did a quick trail over her backside.

"Hn. I was bored, and you're one of the few people in this world that can actually prove entertaining," he stated with a shrug.

She blinked and looked at him, not sure if she should be flattered by the comment or not. "Do I take that as your idea of a compliment?"

He shrugged noncommittally. "Take it however you want to take it, onna." He eyed her state of dress and noticed she didn't seem eager to get out of her bathrobe. He caught sight of the book on her bed. "I take it you're staying in tonight?"

Natalie nodded as she grabbed a brush and started running it through her hair to get the knots out. "That's the plan. I wore myself out beating the tar out of Kuwabara."

"Hn. Yes, I was wondering about that. What did the baka do to get you so angry at him?"

She snorted. "Oh, he just blabbed something to Yusuke, that I didn't really want Yusuke knowing about. I thought I would give him incentive to keep his big trap shut in the future."

He rose an eyebrow. "Oh? Would it happen to do with a little comment?" he asked somewhat maliciously, a smirk coming to his face.

Natalie froze solid, her heart nearly stopping at this question. She cast a _very_ wary look in his direction. Was it possible that Hiei somehow found out?

"Yes, but it's really not something I want to get into. It's... embarrassing."

His smirk grew. "Something to do with... me, onna?"

Her unease was growing by leaps and bounds now. "Um... m-maybe..." She felt her face starting to heat up and found herself straining to keep her ward firmly in place.

Hiei moved from his place against the wall, uncrossing his arms. "It's interesting, onna. In spite of the fact that Kuwabara is a powerful psychic... nobody ever thought to teach him how to shield his thoughts. Did you honestly think I wouldn't find out?"

Her ward shattered as the realization hit her, and the thought hit Hiei as clear as day. _Oh, Kami, He DOES know!!!_ Natalie's expression turned strained and she let out a loud moan and fell to her knees, burrying her face in her hands. Hiei blinked, not expecting this reaction.

The woman seemed to be fighting to get herself under control once more, and Hiei waited patiently for her to do so. Finally, she took in a deep breath and removed her hands from her face, but didn't lift her head.

"I was hoping you wouldn't find out. It... I didn't _mean_ to say it. It just slipped, okay?"

Hiei frowned thoughtfully. He had expected anger, not this. In fact, he had _hoped_ for the anger, rather than this suddenly awkward mood. He had to find a way to turn this around before it got any worse. Why were women so damn complicated?

"Hn. So much for the baka not knowing. He's pretty much put two and two together now from your little slip." He made sure to keep his voice neutral and to not let anything that could be mistaken for anger come through.

She sighed heavily. "Look, I'm sorry okay? It's just... I was watching you and Yusuke and then you took off your jacket and..." She turned bright red, realizing she'd just basically told him she'd been checking him out. Not that he hadn't known already but still... to actually _admit_ it aloud to him....

Hiei realized this was his opportunity. He put a self satisfied smirk on his face and crossed his arms. "So, you liked what you saw, did you?"

A cherry looked pale compared to her now. She thought her head was going to explode if any more blood rushed to it as she looked up at him. "That's not... I mean... DAMNIT HIEI!!! Do you embarrass the hell out of me deliberately or does it just come naturally to you?!" She yelled, some of her anger overtaking her embarrassment.

His smirk only grew. "I guess that answers that question..."

She growled very impressively for a human as she glared at him now. "You... are so lucky I'm only wearing my bathrobe or I would make a very real effort to kick the shit out of you!"

"Hn. Like you haven't tried that before. You haven't even gotten in a hit yet. But if you would care to try again, feel free to get into something a little more appropriate and give it another try."

Natalie suddenly remembered Kurama telling her that Hiei enjoyed seeing her angry, and wondered if this was his weird way of asking her out on a date. Sparring seemed like something he would take more pleasure in. But then again....

She smirked a little herself as she went to her dresser and started pulling out clothes better suited for fighting in.

She wouldn't mind giving another stab at getting in a hit to his smug face. There was a little voice whispering in the back of her mind, worrying over him possibly losing control of himself again, but she didn't really care at the moment. She had been holding in her anger too much lately, and she needed a good outlet. At least with Hiei she was proof positive that she wouldn't hurt him. And it also gave her a chance of seeing him shirtless up close and personal.

Slipping into the bathroom for just a moment, she reemerged fully dressed in a pair of black jeans and a sleeveless black shirt. She returned the smirk Hiei was still giving her as she crossed her own arms, fully mirroring him now.

"Lead the way, Hiei. I'll be right behind you."

Something she could almost call excitement flashed in his eyes for an instant before the koorime jumped out the window, Natalie following close behind.

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**I know this chapter was a little short, but I'll do what I can to make the next one a little longer. R&R please!! ^_^**


	19. Chapter 19

**I know it's a short chapter again, but I'm doing what I can . Please, please PLEASE review and let me know what you think.**

**Here is Chapter 19 of Slight Problem. I own nothing but Natalie and Lisa.**

**__________**

Lisa walked at Kurama's side as he led her to the theater. She was now dressed in a simple white blouse and black dress pants... about as formally as she liked to get. Kurama was dressed fairly casually as well, but still looking _very_ handsome in his cream colored pants and blue button up shirt.

Kurama was engaging in light conversation with the woman at his side when he suddenly blinked and looked off to the left. Lisa, wondering what he was looking at, followed suit.

"What is it?" she asked, unable to see anything.

He blinked again, and then a smile spread across his face. "It's Hiei... and Natalie is right behind him. They're heading for the outskirts of the city. I don't think he is content to merely observe her."

The girl at his side rose an eyebrow slowly. "Natalie told me a few things that have been happening, but I have a feeling she left a lot out. Are the two of them... going out or something?"

The kitsune chuckled. "I don't think so. At least, not yet anyway." He casually put his hand on the small of her back and gently led her on. "Let's not worry about it. Natalie is capable of handling herself, and I doubt Hiei would do anything to hurt her."

Looking at the kitsune a little doubtfully, Lisa shrugged inwardly and allowed him to lead her inside the theater.

__________

Leaping from building to building, barely able to keep Hiei in her sights, Natalie started wondering what the hell she was doing. Only a few days ago, she had found herself flat on her back when she'd been alone with Hiei in the wilderness. And yet here she was, willfully following him. And from the looks of it, they were heading to the same area where the incident had occurred.

Her legs were starting to burn from the excursion of trying to keep up with the koorime. Well, what a great idea this had been. By the time they got to where they were going to have their fight, she was going to be too tired to really do anything. Like she needed another workout today after beating the crap out of Kuwabara!

She shook her head and scowled at herself. Great, now she was starting to sound like Yusuke. Master Yamaguchi would have walloped her upside the head if he had heard her complain about training.

When they were about a mile into the forests outside of the city, Natalie suddenly lost Hiei. His aura just seemed to completely vanish. She came to a stop on a thick tree branch and looked around herself, keeping her senses acute to every single sight, sound, and smell of the forest. She tried to feel out for out of place vibrations in the air as she carefully looked around herself. She had a sinking feeling that their 'spar' had begun.

A few long moments passed with nothing but the normal surroundings of the forest to be picked up by her senses. Then she suddenly had every instinct screaming at her to move. Now.

Using a burst of her energy, she leaped from the branch she'd been standing on and landed on one that was about twenty feet away, doing a quick turn on the heel of her left foot to turn and see what sort of disaster she had just narrowly avoided.

Standing where she previously had been, was Hiei. In his right hand he held what she almost mistook for his sword, but upon closer inspection proved to be a long, sturdy looking reed. He smirked at her smugly.

"Not bad, onna. But if you'd stayed where you were for only a second longer, I would have knocked you to the ground."

She rose an eyebrow at the makeshift sword. "Are our spars graduating to weapons use now?"

His smirk grew. "Why? Do you think you can't handle it? I thought you might be ready for me to up the bar a little. Of course, if you're not up to it, just say so, onna."

Natalie bristled at the veiled insult and the condescending tone in his voice. "You're damn right I'm up for it!" She winced slightly inside. She just hoped Hiei wasn't going to get in any hits with that thing. Even if it wasn't his sword, it was going to sting something awful. Nevertheless, she readied herself for the fight, her expression determined.

His expression suddenly went serious, giving the only warning she had before he simply vanished from sight. She didn't hesitate for a second as she vacated the branch. Soon all she could do was desperately leap and jump from one branch to the other every time she sensed or caught a glimpse of Hiei. With that makeshift sword of his, she didn't stand a chance in hell of getting close enough to get in a hit.

Hiei seemed to be getting impatient. "Stop dodging and attack me, onna!" he growled.

"And how the hell am I supposed to do _that?"_ she asked as she dodged yet again, thankful that he wasn't using his full speed. If he had been, she'd be mince meat by now. She stood on her new perch and looked around herself apprehensively. Her legs and lungs felt like they were on fire. "I can't get close enough to you to hit you unless I want to be on the receiving end of your makeshift sword!"

Hiei stopped on a branch off to her left and looked at her. "Then attack me from afar, onna! I know you can throw blasts! You did it right before we met you when you were fighting those low level demons!"

Natalie frowned thoughtfully. She knew how to throw blasts but she wasn't very proficient at it. She had only done it a few times in training with Master Yamaguchi and that one time defending Lisa. Of course, at the moment it was the only option she had open to her if she wanted any chance of hitting Hiei.

"Onna," he said, cutting into her thoughts. "Other demons will be attracted by your energy, and if you don't get stronger, then you won't last here long."

It suddenly hit her like a tonne of bricks. _Hiei_ was _training_ her!!!

Looking at the situation with a new light, she nodded, her own game face coming on.

Nodding back, Hiei was off once more. Again, Natalie vacated her branch, but this time she formed the energy in her left hand and sent it flying right where she had been standing. In spite of how fast she might have delivered the attack, Hiei was faster as he dodged. Doing a wild prediction on where his movements would take him, she sent another blast off as she landed on her new perch. Again, her target dodged.

She sent off a few more blasts as she jumped and flipped from tree to tree, but she couldn't seem to hit her intended target. Then, leaping from one tree the next, she gathered more energy into her palm just as she touched down, when an exploding pain erupted inside her skull and her stomach seemed to do several flip flops. Her surroundings blurred and tilted and she felt herself start to fall as she pressed her hands to her temples in an effort to subdue the pain. She let out a loud cry.

The fall would have been painful, but Hiei caught her and set her down on her knees gently. She immediately leaned her head forward, trying to get the insane throbbing in her skull to go away and the sudden onset of nausea to at least subside somewhat. Hiei had placed one of his hands on her shoulder.

"Onna. Look at me."

She gave a small moan. "You don't want me to lift my head yet, Hiei, or chances are pretty good that I'll throw up. Damn... What the fuck's wrong with me?!"

"Hn. You're body's not used to you controlling energy the way that you were. It needs to get used to it. Things like this are going to happen in the beginning unless you can find another way to channel your energy into a weapon without making yourself sick."

All was quiet for a few long moments. Then, when she was relatively sure she could lift her head without losing her lunch, she slowly did so, but the throbbing in her skull was still relentless. She felt Hiei's fingers contact with her temple. Looking up at him, she saw he had removed his headband, and the jagan flared slightly and she felt the intense pain taper off into a more bearable ache. She gave an immense sigh of relief.

"Thank you," she said quietly, looking away and taking in a few deep breaths. Her stomach was still not in the best state.

"Hn."

She sighed inwardly. It had been a pretty short outing, but she was sure she wouldn't be able to do any more sparring tonight. Natalie looked up, prepared to ask Hiei if he could possibly bring her home but the question died in her throat as her eyes locked with his.

His face was mere inches from hers, and one of his arms was around her shoulder, while the other was just above her knee on her thigh. Strangely enough, she couldn't remember exactly when they had taken up this position.

Hiei seemed to be just as frozen as she herself was for the moment, his red eyes suddenly wide as they looked directly into her green orbs. The intensity of that one moment caused a shiver to race up Natalie's spine and she turned bright red.

_Damn,_ she thought as she quickly looked away and felt her heart rate increase. _If we don't figure out what's going on between us soon, I'm going to go nuts! It seems every time me and Hiei are alone together, things like this happen! Stupid bloody hormones!!!!_

Unfortunately, Natalie didn't realize that her ward was still down and Hiei had picked up on her thoughts. He smirked, but decided that this time he would let it slide He could tell the woman was exhausted, and she needed to sleep off the rest of her headache and recover from her excessive reiki control. Though she did have a good point.

One of these nights they were going to have to figure out what it was that was happening between them. Because in that moment... when his eyes had met hers, Hiei had had a sudden urge to lean forward and....

He shook his head. Later. He would think about this later when the onna was away from him. Having her around was only going to cloud his judgment.

"I'll bring you back to the Detective's onna. You need your rest," he said, his expression neutral once more.

The woman blinked and nodded, trying with minor success to shake off her blush. "Um... yeah. I think that would be a good idea."

Without saying a word, he lifted the woman into his arms and was off. Like the last time he did so, the woman threw her arms around his shoulders and her face was against his neck. Hiei growled inwardly as he once again felt every curve of her body and her scent assailed his nostrils once more. He _really_ had to work out what was going on with him. Every time he was with the woman he felt confusing and unwanted sensations that drove him to the brink of losing his control.

He hated it.

So why was he always returning to her?

Shaking off his thoughts stubbornly he focused on getting the woman home. Later. He would think things through later. Maybe he would even go to the Fox again. Whatever was going on, he wanted it resolved.

He felt the woman's grip on him loosen and he sighed upon quickly peeking into her mind. She had fallen asleep. Well, at least that meant he wouldn't be delayed by possible conversation. He wanted to drop her off and put some distance between the two of them.

He was relieved when he saw that Yusuke was still gone. He smirked thinking back on how Natalie had sent him away. If there was one thing the Detective valued strongly it was his sex life. Having that threatened, and knowing the woman was probably fully capable of taking it from him, had sent him into a state of full blown panic. He could almost laugh thinking back and remembering his expression. Hiei allowed a smirk of amusement to come to his face as he recalled the scene.

He entered Natalie's room through the window and carefully supported her with one arm as he pulled the blankets back on her bed, making sure to move the book she'd been reading onto her nightstand. She shifted only slightly with the change of position, a small annoyed sound escaping from her throat.

Picking her up once more, he lowered her onto the bed and placed the blankets over her. She immediately snuggled into the blankets, a pleased noise that somehow got his immediate attention, issuing forth from her now. A small contented smile played on her lips and Hiei forced himself to turn away.

Before he could think twice about it, he jumped out the window and strived to put some distance between himself and the woman that was somehow affecting him so strangely.

__________

**Next chapter will HOPEFULLY be up in the next few days. Please tell me what you think! ^_^**


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay... I'm officially going to stop trying to estimate when I'm going to be able to update these stories of mine. Because honestly, I have no frickin' idea anymore!! .**

**I'm sorry for the long wait, but I just got a new job a few months ago, and I work ten hour shifts six days a week at night. By the time I come home, I'm really too tired to get creative, so I can only really work on my stories on my days off, and that's only if my muse knocks me upside the head.**

**Anyway, as all of you are well aware by now, I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own are my own two characters, Natalie and Lisa.**

**Here is Chapter 20!!! **

*************

The first thing Natalie did the next morning was take a nice hot shower to help relieve her sore muscles. Then she simply headed out the door without a word to Yusuke. She smirked a little when she recalled the wary looks he sent her way that morning. Obviously he still remembered the night before and was afraid she might carry out her threat to him.

She made her way to a nearby restaurant to have breakfast, knowing that Atsuko and Yusuke weren't ones to really bother with buying groceries. After partaking of a breakfast consisting of bacon and eggs, she headed out for a walk.

The day seemed as if it was going to be rather uneventful so far. She went into a theater and watched a samurai film (that actually disappointed her slightly, though the action sequences weren't bad), and then tried to think of what else she might do to pass the time. She almost considered going to the arcade and then decided against it. Video games weren't really her thing, though she did play them from time to time. She just wasn't in the mood to listen to a bunch of rowdy teenagers egging each other on.

Then something Hiei said to her the night before came back to her.

_Other demons will be attracted by your energy, and if you don't get stronger, then you won't last here long..._

Then she remembered the following fight... which pretty much involved her blindly throwing blasts until her body decided to give her the finger and a migraine headache. Hiei said her body needed to get used to her harnessing her energy the way she was... or she would have to find another way to harness her energy to make her a more formidable opponent in a fight.

She pursed her lips thoughtfully. It was a nice day, and she had been thinking of getting in some solo training anyway. She hopped on a bus and took it to the edge of town where she headed into a forest.

Natalie thought about what she knew about energy manipulation, and what Hiei had said to her the night before. Throwing blasts were fine, but she didn't think she should focus too much on them until her body was a little more accustomed to her using energy. Her best bet was to use a spirit weapon, like Kuwabara did. But a sword was definitely out. Her skill with a sword would have Hiei rolling his eyes and she didn't really want to go through the sort of pain he would inflict on her if she asked him to train her in the use of one.

The only weapon she was really proficient at was the boa. She supposed her best bet would be trying to form one of those with her energy.

She found herself a nice peaceful clearing and settled down in the grass. A little meditation would be in order for her to pull this off. A small combination of her witchcraft and martial arts chi control.

So, Natalie meditated, focusing on her goal intently. After sitting still and focusing for a good half hour, she made her first attempt at forming the weapon. After trying for ten solid minutes, she frowned. Even though she could _feel_ her energy, she couldn't seem to shape it into the form of a boa like she was trying to. For some reason, it kept wanting to take on the form of a sphere. She went back into her meditative state and tried again with the same results.

After making the attempt for a few hours, she let her hand drop to her side and frowned deeply. Obviously she was missing something. It couldn't be the amount of energy she had... Kuwabara had been weaker than she was when he had first manifested his sword. In fact, he had done it without even meaning to!

She considered. She may be an expert on witchcraft, but her knowledge of chi control was limited. She really only knew the basics. Though it wasn't _much _different from magickal energy, the differences must be big enough that she would need some help in this area.

Her frown turned into a grin. Now she had a reason to go visit with Genkai!

Natalie got to her feet and stretched her sore legs. Reaching out with her aura, she honed in on Genkai's temple and headed off.

********

Yukina was sweeping the top of the steps to the shrine when she saw someone making their way up. Blinking, she squinted slightly, trying to make out who their visitor was and smiled when she saw it was one of the girls that came from another world.

Said girl smiled broadly as she approached, slightly winded from her trek up the long stairway. "Hi Yukina! Is Genkai here?"

The Ice Maiden smiled at her sweetly. "Hi Natalie-san! Yes, she is. Follow me and I'll bring you inside to her." She started inside the temple, the human girl following close behind her.

A few moments later, she was sitting across from Genkai in the old woman's living room, sipping tea provided by Yukina.

The Reiki Master looked at the young woman sitting across from her. "So, Natalie. What brings you here? Am I correct in assuming that you're not dropping in for idle chit chat?"

Natalie grinned wryly. "Well, the thought of doing that _has_ crossed my mind, but no. I actually came here to get your input on something." She picked up her tea and took a sip as the old woman snorted and crossed her arms.

"If you're here to get advice about your relationship with Hiei, I can't really help you..."

Natalie spewed her tea and started to choke. The thought of going to Genkai for _that_ kind of advice was the _last_ thing on her mind!!

"Nononononononono!! This has _nothing_ to do with my erm... issues... with Hiei," she said, blushing madly. The old woman looked rather amused at her flustered state.

She smirked and settled back in her chair. "All right. I'll leave you to sort out _that_ mess on your own. So, tell me. What did you come here to talk to me about?"

Natalie grinned a little sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her head. She was still fighting off the blush as she struggled to compose herself. "Well, someone pointed out to me the other night that demons will be attracted by my energy, so I should get stronger so I can handle any that attack me. I tried practicing throwing blasts, but after doing it so many times, it made me physically sick. So today I went someplace quiet to try manifesting a weapon like Kuwabara does, but I haven't had any success."

Genkai frowned slightly and examined the girl's aura. "Hmm... you have more than enough energy to accomplish the task..."

She nodded. "I know. That's why I can't figure it out. Kuwabara had less energy than I do the first time he called forth his sword, so I don't understand why I can't call forth a boa. Then again, my specialty is in magickal energy, not chi itself, so there's probably something important I'm missing. That's why I came to you."

The old woman looked to be deep in thought for a long moment before nodding and getting to her feet. "I think I know what the problem is. Follow me."

Genkai led her outside to the back of the temple. She indicated what looked like a storage shed. "Go ahead and open the door. Select any weapon you want."

While she was able to keep her outward appearance calm, inside Natalie was jumping around and squealing like an excited six year old in a candy store. She opened the door and saw weapons hanging on the walls and sitting neatly on shelves. Most of them looked as if they hadn't been used in years, and a light layer of dust covered everything. While she took note of all the other weapons, she honed in on what she knew to use best and grabbed the sturdiest looking boa she saw.

Genkai nodded and then looked at her. "The whole reason Kuwabara was able to manifest his sword was because at the time he was holding onto the tip of that bokken which had been crafted out of a sacred wood. It gave him the extra boost he needed. However, with you, we'll have to approach it a little differently. Your best bet is to imbue your energy into the boa until the energy gets used to the shape of it. It will probably take you a week or so before you are able to manifest a weapon like Kuwabara's sword, but it should help immensely." She turned and started walking off. "You are free to use my grounds for training if you like. I'm going inside to finish my tea." She lifted a hand in a half wave and vanished inside.

Once she was alone, Natalie looked at the boa she held in her hands and focused. Imbuing your energy into an object was something done very often in the craft... but normally you just imbued objects with a certain intent... such as granting luck or wealth. This was just her own personal chi she was pouring into the weapon, so she carefully kept her mind blank as she performed the task.

When she opened her eyes and looked at her weapon, she saw that it was now fully imbued with her energy and it now had a faint glow issuing forth from it. She nodded to herself. Perfect.

Natalie then set about practicing her moves with the weapon, allowing her movements to flow from one position to the other.

After about twenty minutes passed, Genkai stepped outside the temple and stood, watching the young woman as she practiced.

She couldn't help but smirk when she saw the expression on the young woman's face. _No wonder Hiei is infatuated with her,_ she thought. _She's a fiercely determined young woman, and she has strength to back herself up with. She's not quite up to par with the rest of them, but she makes up for that with an explosive temper and by having an extremely stubborn streak._ Her smirk widened. _Now if only our resident of gloom would accept that he has feelings for her. _The old woman took a seat on the steps and continued to watch as the young woman trained herself. Taking a moment to examine her aura, she noticed that she had a tight control over her energy. She merely had to learn to shape it into a physical form so she could utilize it as a weapon.

Natalie grinned inwardly. This was _much_ better than her attempted training before. She could feel her energy in the wood she held, and yet it wasn't making her feel sick or otherwise uncomfortable. At least, not yet. She decided to pick up the pace of her training and challenge herself.

Seeing the young woman increase the pace of her training, the old woman smirked again. Why couldn't the dimwit show that sort of enthusiasm when it came to his own training? She wondered.

Not really having anything better to do that day, Genkai decided to spend the remainder of her day outside to watch the enthusiastic young woman. She lit up a cigarette as she continued to watch.

Natalie went on with her training for almost two straight hours, her focus never wavering. Finally she stopped and looked at her watch and then looked at the sky to see that the sun was starting to sink in the west.

She turned and blinked, a little surprised to see Genkai had been sitting there watching her the whole time. She grinned a little sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "Thank you for letting me train here, Genkai. I really appreciate it, but I think I'll have to head back to Yusuke's now before it gets too late. I don't want to overdo it."

The old woman smiled and gave her a nod. Then she shook her head as Natalie tried to return the weapon. "Keep it. I have plenty and I don't use those anymore anyway. You would benefit far more from it than I would."

She smiled broadly. "Cool! Thanks!" She gave her a quick bow of respect. "Say goodnight to Yukina for me! I'll see you later!!" She ran off without another word.

********

Lisa was currently window shopping with Shizuru at the older woman's insistence. The girl didn't have much interest in looking at items when she had no intention of buying them in the first place, but she guessed it was a way to pass the time. Truth be told, she would much prefer to spend more time with Kurama, but he had promised his mother that he would visit with her for the day, and so that option was out. However, he had promised to bring her to the local museum the next day... an outing she was very much looking forward to.

Shizuru blinked and looked off down the street. Lisa, wondering what she was looking at, followed her gaze and saw Natalie coming toward them.

The blond girl smiled immediately. "Natalie! Hi! What are you doing?"

Her friend grinned as she came to a stop beside the other two girls. "I'm just on my way back from Genkai's." She hefted the boa the old woman had given to her. "I spent some time doing some training there, and she's letting me keep this."

Lisa's eyes went enormous. "Genkai is _training_ you?!"

Natalie rolled her eyes, a smile on her face. "Nah, but she gives me suggestions when I ask her. She's just letting me train on her grounds is all. I'm trying to get a better grasp on chi control."

Her friend smiled. "Well, whatever makes you happy." Then she looked around. "Where's Hiei? Isn't he usually attached to you at the hip?"

Natalie turned bright red immediately. "LISA!!!!!"

She snickered. "Hey, cool! Now _I_ can tease _you_ about your love life!!" Then she calmed herself down. "But seriously, where is he? Isn't he usually following you around?"

Natalie decided to let her friend have this one, given how many times her friend had been on the receiving end of her own barbs. She simply shrugged. "I don't know where he is. I haven't seen or sensed him all day."

Shizuru spoke for the first time. "I ran into Kurama in the market earlier today. He told me Mukuro summoned Hiei back to demon world because a human got past the barrier and Hiei has to take care of it. He'll probably be gone for a couple days at least."

Natalie was a little surprised at just how disappointed the news made her, but she shoved it aside and looked on the bright side. It would give her some time away from him to sort out what was going on between the two of them, and she could train without interruption.

She kept her smile firmly in place. "Thanks for the info! I've gotta get going now. For some reason Yusuke tends to get worried if I stay out too late. It's almost like he's trying to be my mom or something."

Shizuru almost started to laugh. "Mama Yusuke. I'm gonna have to remember to bug him about that one. If he starts being a pain in your ass, just pop him one. It's not like he can't take a hit."

Natalie snickered. "Oh, I have something even better than that in mind if he starts being a pain. And he knows what that something is too. But anyway, I'll chat with you guys later. Have a good night, Lisa!"

Her friend nodded. "You too, Nat!"

The dark haired girl continued on down the street without another word.

********

Yusuke pretty much left Natalie alone when she got home, meaning he either got her hint the night before, or just didn't see any reason to bug her when Hiei's scent wasn't all over her. After having a nice, hot shower, she settled down in her room and curled up with the book she had been intending on finishing the night before.

However, Natalie found she was having a harder time than usual focusing on the words in the book. Her eyes kept wandering from the pages in front of her and going to the window. She frowned slightly. While the book certainly wasn't the best thing she'd ever read, it wasn't boring either. Maybe she was just tired from the training she'd done that day. Looking at her bedside clock and seeing that it was going on midnight, she nodded to herself. It was definitely time to go to sleep.

So she shut off the lights in her room and curled up.

Two hours later, she sat up with a slight growl. DAMNIT!!!!! Couldn't she sleep for _one fucking night_ without Hiei there with her?! She couldn't possibly be _that_ pathetic, could she?!

Okay, fine. She admitted it. She absolutely loved it on the few occasions that he had held her. There, she admitted it to herself. His heat was downright fucking addictive, and now it was starting to piss her off because _without_ him here with her, she couldn't fall asleep! Even when he hadn't held her, he had used his jagan to help her get to sleep.

_In other words, he's been spoiling the hell out of me,_ she thought a little bitterly as she flopped back down onto the bed. She snorted at herself. Who would have thought she would be the sort to _complain_ when someone was spoiling her?

_He's going to be back in just a couple days,_ she reminded herself. Surely she could wait that long. She wasn't the type to get all clingy with guys.

Rolling over onto her side, she closed her eyes and forced her mind to go blank, trying to go to sleep once more.

********

In Demon World, Hiei walked alongside Mukuro, on the way to get something to eat before turning in for the night. The human (which turned out to be a child of about nine years), was currently in an induced sleep. In the morning, Hiei would erase his memory of the Demon World and some others would return him to human world by the coming night. The plan was to place him in a forest not far from the edge of Tokyo where human teams who were searching for the lost boy would find him and return him to his parents.

Mukuro looked down at him. "Is something on your mind, Hiei? You've hardly said a word all day."

"Hn. There is nothing of importance, Mukuro." Truth be known, Hiei was using his time away from Human World to try and gain a new perspective on whatever was going on between him and Natalie. But as of yet, he wasn't having much luck. The only explanation he could come up with was almost unthinkable. And yet he kept considering it. Curse that damn fox for planting ideas into his head!

The woman walking at his side gave him a small smirk. "Oh really? So it doesn't involve a certain human girl?"

Hiei stopped in his tracks and frowned at her. "So you're sending spies out to keep an eye on me now, Mukuro?"

She shrugged easily. "I always make it a point to keep an eye on my operatives. Unlike most of our kind, I try to concern myself with their well being." She paused and continued on, Hiei falling into step beside her once more as they entered the kitchens. They both made themselves something to eat and settled down at a table set off to the side. "So... why don't you tell me a little about her?"

He was barely able to keep himself from scowling as he simply shrugged again. "There's not much to tell. She's just a ningen onna and she happens to be from another world."

Mukuro smiled and shook her head. "You mean she's a human girl who accidentally brought herself and her friend to our realm by using a magickal technique, also happens to be a fighter, and, from what I've been hearing, the two of you have been spending a fair amount of time together. I also hear that her temper is almost equal with your own."

Hiei's glare would have made most sane people run and hide, but Mukuro just continued smiling at him knowingly. "If you know so much, then why ask questions?"

Mukuro smirked now. "Well, it's not very often that someone catches your interest like that, Hiei. So when someone _does_ manage to, they catch my interest as well. In fact, I would very much like to meet this young woman for myself."

The woman across from him witnessed a first as Hiei nearly choked on his food, hearing her request. He wasn't sure if bringing Natalie into the Demon World was a good idea or not. He certainly didn't think that Mukuro had any ill intentions toward the onna, but it was the _other_ demons he was concerned about. He tried to imagine what her reaction would be if Hiei told her Mukuro wanted to meet her personally. He came up with two possible scenario's:

Either she would be ecstatic at the very thought of taking a trip to demon world and meeting her, or... She would be understandably wary at the thought of going to demon world, knowing how some of the demons in his world could be when it came to humans.

When he didn't answer right away, her expression turned more serious. "Understand, Hiei, that it's not a mere request. I intend to meet her one way or another."

His frown deepened. "I don't think she would appreciate being forcibly taken from the Human World."

"Then you're simply going to have to convince her to come here willingly. Anything that is of interest to you is of interest to me. But you can be rest assured that I will not allow any harm to come to her, so you can at least put that worry to rest."

The Koorime decided he was finished with this conversation. He left the rest of the food on his plate and got up. "Her safety will be my concern and my concern alone, Mukuro. Any one who tries to hurt her will be on the receiving end of my blade." He left the room without another word.

Mukuro smirked. _A little protective of a mere human girl, aren't we, Hiei? Now I'm REALLY curious._

**Please R&R!! ^_^**


	21. Chapter 21

**Okay, I know I have other stories that need to be updated, and I WILL get those updated too. I'm not entirely sure WHEN, but I'll get them done!**

**This chapter and the next one will primarily revolve around Natalie and Hiei. Sorry Lisa/Kurama fans! But don't worry, I have some **_**really**_** juicy ideas for **_**their **_**relationship that you'll see in future chapters! And their making a cameo in the next chapter!**

**Anyway, here's chapter 21!! If I were inclined to give this chapter a title, I'd probably call it Work & Pleasure. :P**

**Oh, yeah... I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho... only Natalie and Lisa.**

*****

Natalie was woken up by the sound of Yusuke pounding on her door. Not just merely knocking... but _pounding on her door._

"Yo, Nat! Aren't you awake yet? You're normally little miss early bird! It's going on nine!"

Natalie groggily lifted her head from the pillow and glared at her clock, realizing that Yusuke was right. She scowled. She'd fallen asleep at around four or five in the morning, and then she kept finding herself waking up. Needless to say, she did _not_ sleep well.

She threw on a pair of pants and a shirt and stepped out of her room. Yusuke took in the bags under her eyes and her pale complexion, and he blinked curiously. "Didn't sleep good?" He sniffed her briefly. "Well, I can't smell Hiei all over you this morning, so I can't imagine why you'd be awake all night..."

He cut himself off at the glare she sent his way. "Hiei's not even in Human World right now. Shizuru told me that he went to Demon World to take care of a human that got past the barrier. He won't be back for a couple days."

He blinked again. "Then how come you're so...?" Natalie moaned as his expression turned to one of dawning realization and he grinned. "Oooohhh.... I get it... You _miss_ him, don't you? You couldn't sleep after going one little day without your little Hiei-pooh, huh?"

Her eyebrow twitched. _So much for him not teasing me,_ she thought. Then she sighed inwardly. _Well, at least Hiei isn't here to witness it this time._

She pointedly ignored the Mazoku and bypassed him to go into the living room. She grabbed a light jacket and threw on her shoes. Then she grabbed her boa, which she had accidentally left leaning against the wall right by the front door the night before, and headed to eat and then continue on with her training.

*****

Genkai gave Natalie a warm but short greeting, and Yukina could spare little more than a kind word and a nod as she was busy with her temple duties. The girl simply made her way into the back of the temple and continued on with her training.

After training non stop for four straight hours, Yukina came from inside the temple and invited her inside for dinner at Genkai's insistence. The moment she was finished eating and cleaned up, she headed back out the back of the temple once more to carry on.

Yukina blinked as she watched the human girl run out. "She's very... dedicated, isn't she, Genkai-san?"

The old woman nodded, her smirk coming to her face. "Yes, she is. One would almost think she was trying to impress someone."

*****

As with the day before, Natalie returned back to Yusuke's place shortly before the sun set. She was a little sore from her workout, and felt a great deal of relief when she stepped into the steaming hot shower. She stayed in there for a good half hour before she finally stepped out and slipped into her night robe.

With the way her workout that day had worn her out, she felt fairly good about her chances of falling asleep.

Well, her plan sounded good in theory, but then she realized that it was easier said than done.

Especially when she heard the front door open and the sounds of Atsuko coming in with some of her drinking buddies. There was loud talking, obnoxious, drunken laughter, and... then the stereo came on.

Natalie moaned and tried to bury her head under her pillow in an effort to drown it out. Now she knew why Yusuke wasn't home when she had gotten home. He'd probably known this was going to happen.

She was going to kill him for not warning her.

A few plans of action went through her sleep depraved mind, and then she hesitated before settling on one of them. She quickly got dressed, snatched her boa, and jumped out the window.

*****

Kurama was a little surprised when he heard the knock on his door. Looking at the clock on the wall, he saw it was after one in the morning. Thankfully he had been reading at the time, so it hadn't awoken him. He got up and headed to the door, a little wary given the time of night. Testing the air briefly, and detecting nothing dangerous, he opened the door.

Natalie stood there, looking positively exhausted and with a somewhat irritated scowl on her face. "I'm sorry to bother you. I know it's really late, but I hardly got any sleep last night and tonight Atsuko brought friends over for a party. If it's not too much trouble, could I stay here for the night? If you have a spare bed, that would be awesome, but the couch or even a soft carpet would work for me too..."

Kurama sighed inwardly. He wondered how long Natalie was going to be able to handle living with Atsuko before she got fed up and simply left to find a place of her own. He could easily understand her frustration.

He gave her his patented smile and a slight nod. "It's no bother at all. I wasn't asleep yet. Come on inside. I have a spare bedroom you can use."

Natalie's expression turned very relieved to hear this as she removed her shoes and followed the kitsune into his apartment. He opened a door that was off to the side.

"Hiei sometimes uses this room when the weather is acting up. You are free to make yourself comfortable and..."

Natalie went forward and simply flopped down on the bed, falling asleep almost instantly, taking Kurama by surprise. Then he chuckled lightly and retrieved another blanket from the closet, draping it over her.

Taking one more moment to ensure everything in the room was in order (and taking a moment to place her fallen boa up against the wall beside the bed), Kurama shut off the light to her room and closed the door, heading off to his own bed to go to sleep.

*****

Hiei was back in the human world early the next morning. The little boy's memory of Demon World had been successfully erased only hours ago by the hybrid and was under the protection of another demon until the human search parties located him for themselves. In the meantime, he decided he may as well spend the first few hours of his morning visiting with Kurama and was currently on his way there. He had no worries of waking the fox up. His sleeping habits hadn't changed at all since he had gotten out of high school, so it was guaranteed that he would be up at this time of the morning.

Approaching Kurama's building from the side, he entered the kitsune's home through the window in the guest room that the hybrid sometimes used. He blinked, more than a little surprised to see that Natalie was sleeping in the bed, sleeping a little restlessly. Hiei made his way to her side, about to try and determine what was causing her discomfort and see if he could find out why she was there in the first place, when the door to her bedroom silently opened and Kurama stuck his head inside.

_Hiei, you're back earlier than I thought. She came here last night because Atsuko was throwing a party and I guess she didn't get a good night sleep the night before either. We should just leave her be._

Hiei nodded silently. Having one question answered was good enough for now. But the issue with her lack of sleep was something he was going to take care of himself before he left. He placed his fingers at her temple and activated his Jagan, using it to chase away her discomfort. The woman before him settled down immediately, a small smile coming to her face and a satisfied sigh escaping her lips. It was only when the woman was comfortable again that Hiei left her side and followed the fox into the main part of his apartment.

Kurama started preparing some tea for the two of them. "So, how did it go in Demon World?"

He shrugged. "It was a child. His memory was successfully altered and the human search parties should find him some time this morning, if all goes well."

He nodded. "That's good. Any news aside from that?" he asked, handing Hiei his steaming cup of tea and sitting across from him at the table.

Hiei was quiet for a moment and then he finally spoke. "Mukuro intends to meet Natalie for herself, with or without her consent."

Kurama's head jerked up and his eyes went wide. Such a thing would require the girl to go into Demon World... something that could prove very dangerous. Then another thought came to him.

"How did she find out about Natalie? Did you tell her about her?"

Hiei shook his head, scowling now. "No. Apparently she has spies keeping an eye on me for my 'well being'."

The fox was frowning deeply now. "If Mukuro would do something like that, I wouldn't put it past Yomi to do the same thing. I don't even want to think of what action he might take should he learn of Lisa and my interest in her." His eyes narrowed. "Why does Mukuro want to meet Natalie?"

Hiei shrugged. "I don't know. All she said is that her intention is NOT to hurt her and that she will be safe while staying there. Beyond that, I know nothing."

"And how soon did she want this meeting to occur?"

The scowl was back on his face. "A week. Which doesn't give me much time to prepare her for Demon World, but unless we want her being kidnapped, I have no choice."

Kurama nodded silently, still deep in thought. He decided he would talk with Kuwabara later and tell him to keep his eyes and senses open to anything unusual. "So evidently Natalie's not going to have a choice in the matter. But the question is... how will she take this news? She has enough on her mind as it is, and I think she knows how dangerous Demon World can be to humans."

Hiei sighed. "I don't know, fox. But what I do know is that I only have a week to whip her into shape."

He smirked slightly. "I think she may be a little ahead of you on that one. Genkai gave me a call last night and apparently Natalie's been spending most of her time at the temple training herself so she can shape her energy into a weapon. Apparently, someone mentioned the fact that demons will be drawn to her energy and she had to learn to defend herself better and she took their words very seriously. Genkai hasn't seen a fighter as determined as her in quite a while."

Hiei didn't miss the knowing tone to the fox's voice, but chose to ignore it. Although he didn't show it outwardly, he was both surprised and pleased that the woman had taken his advice to heart. The fact that she had been training herself in his absence was a good thing.

He and Kurama visited for a couple of hours (mostly engaging in small talk about Makai affairs), when the door to the guest bedroom opened and Natalie emerged. She rubbed one of her eyes sleepily and let out a small yawn. Then she blinked, seeing who was sitting at the table.

"Good morning, guys. Hiei, did you just get back from Demon World this morning?"

He nodded. "Hn. My business there is done, but there is something we need to discuss."

Before Natalie could ask, Kurama got to his feet and turned to her. "That matter can wait a few moments. I'm sure you must be hungry. Let me get you some breakfast and we can talk it over as we eat."

A few short minutes later, Kurama had placed a plate of waffles on the table before her and a steaming cup of tea. Natalie normally preferred coffee first thing in the morning, but felt it would be in her best interests to not complain. She didn't really need a wake-me-up this morning anyway... The second she had seen Hiei had returned, she had come almost fully awake.

Realizing she was famished, she quickly dug into her food, taking a couple bites before regarding the koorime. "So, what is it that we need to discuss?" she asked, placing another forkful of food in her mouth.

Hiei shrugged as if it was nothing of great importance. "Mukuro wants to meet you," he said casually.

As Hiei had done the night before, the woman choked on her food in shock. Kurama tensed slightly and relaxed when she gained control over herself. "WHAT?! _Mukuro_ wants to meet _me??_ Why?"

He scowled slightly. "She's been sending spies out to keep tabs on me and they saw some of our interactions. Because of this, she wants to meet you, but assures me that no harm will come to you."

Natalie was quiet for a long moment, now under the watchful eyes of both demons. "Um... don't get me wrong, I would absolutely love to meet her myself but... wouldn't that mean a trip through the Makai?"

"Hn. Yes. Which is why we are going to spend every day this week training."

She blinked now. "Wait a minute. I didn't say yes or no yet."

Kurama sighed. "Unfortunately, Mukuro's not giving you a choice."

"Say _what?!_"

Hiei looked directly at her for the first time that morning. "He's right. She told me that I either bring you to her myself or she would send some of her operatives to Human World to retrieve you herself. We have a week to prepare you."

Natalie's face went white. Then she scowled herself. "Terrific. Voluntarily or involuntarily, I'm going to demon world in a week." Then she blinked as something he said to her earlier came back. "Wait a minute! You said that she sent _spies_ out to check on you?"

He nodded. "Yes. Unlike many demons of high standing, Mukuro tries to look out for her operatives well being when she is able, and she _did_ name me her heir."

She looked now to Kurama. "What about Yomi? Would he do something like that to you?"

He nodded. "I had already thought the same thing when Hiei told me this morning. I fully intend on speaking to Kuwabara about this matter later. I may even ask Lisa to move from his place and into my own to better ensure her safety... especially if Kuwabara detects any strange activity in the next little while. As capable as he is, he would be no match for a high level demon, and Lisa would be unable to defend herself against them at all."

Natalie nodded, a little relief coming to her. It was nice to know that Kurama was looking out for her friend's well being. Then she turned back to Hiei, her expression serious. "Okay. I guess since she's not giving me any choice in the matter, I'm going of my own free will." She then went into detail about the training she had been putting herself through and the advice that Genkai had given her about manifesting a spirit weapon of her own. "I'll need to use the boa itself for a few more days before I try forming one of pure energy. Hopefully I can use a fully manifested spirit weapon for extended periods of time without getting myself sick, but I guess we'll see. In the meantime, I say we head out and get started the moment I'm done eating my breakfast."

Hiei smirked. "You prefer using a boa to a sword, onna?"

She grinned a little sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "I'd much prefer to use a weapon I actually know how to use, rather than go through you training me in how to use a sword yourself. The hand to hand combat training is probably going to be painful enough."

He shrugged. "Fair enough." Then he nodded to her. "As soon as you're finished eating we'll head out."

*****

So, fifteen minutes later, Natalie found herself racing behind Hiei, boa in hand, as he headed to their usual spot in the forest. She had a sinking sensation that this wasn't going to be like their last few spars, because they had to prepare her for the trip to Demon World now... something that still made her feel a little uneasy. She was also constantly reminding herself to be courteous toward Mukuro when she met her. The last thing she wanted to do was tick off one of the most powerful demons in the whole of Demon World! Not even Hiei would be able to protect her if she became the subject of Mukuro's ire.

Once they got to the location, Hiei allowed her only a few moments to imbue her boa with her energy. The second her task was completed, their spar was under way.

It soon became evident that she was right. This was _way_ different from their usual spars. Hiei hardly let up at all and wasted no time with talk. But unlike the last few times they had sparred, Natalie now had a weapon and she was using it. Hiei had seemed a little surprised at just how skilled she was with the boa, but recovered from that surprise quickly as they went head to head. He held back his strength and some of his speed, that was all. Fortunately, as before he simply used a sturdy reed and not his real sword. Had he been using his usual weapon, Natalie doubted she would have stood much of a chance.

As it was, her muscles were burning from the excursion. Though she didn't think she was succeeding much, she was trying to match him blow for blow. And while she was starting to feel more than just a little worn out from their workout, Hiei still looked as fresh as a fucking daisy.

For some reason, that pissed her off.

Feeding from her anger, she made an attempt to go on the offensive, attacking Hiei with as much gusto as she could muster. Hiei simply seemed to allow it for a few moments before using his makeshift sword to disarm her. As Natalie's boa went flying away from her, Hiei used the few seconds she was in shock to swiftly knock her to the ground. What little air she had in her lungs was expelled from the impact and she could do nothing but lay there for a few long seconds, gasping to get the air back into her lungs.

Hiei had retrieved her weapon for her and threw it on the ground next to her. She slowly sat up, still breathing deeply, only now becoming aware of all the aches and pains of her body now that her adrenaline was gone.

"Hn. You went a little over two straight hours before your body went out on you. Not bad for a ningen onna," he said, a small smirk on his face.

Natalie was still trying to gulp down lungful's of air without being too conspicuous about it. Her throat felt like sandpaper, giving her voice a strangely throaty quality to it. "Was that sarcasm or your idea of praising me?"

She didn't notice Hiei stiffen slightly as she spoke. She was too busy trying to swallow now, as well as trying to bring her oxygen level back up to normal. He shrugged. "Take it however you wish, onna. But I will say this: not many humans could have gone that long fighting against me." When he saw surprise on her face he snorted. "Don't let that go to your head though. I was going easy on you. You can rest for half an hour, and then we're going again."

She didn't argue. She simply nodded.

He turned and started walking away. "Stay right here. I'll be back in a few minutes." Before she could question him on where he was going, he vanished from sight. She sighed and shook her head. She supposed he probably wouldn't have told her anyway.

So she sat beneath the tree for a few long moments, not bothering to waste her energy by standing up or moving around. She had a feeling she was going to need all the energy she could get now that Hiei was back from Demon World to help her train. She had a feeling he was going to be a hard taskmaster, but at least he wasn't going to be as bad as Genkai was with Yusuke when she had first started training him.

At least she sure as hell _hoped_ he wouldn't.

When Hiei returned about ten minutes after he left, she was more than a little surprised when he tossed her a canteen of water. "Drink up, onna. The day's going to be warm and you're going to need to keep yourself hydrated. After another five hours we'll take an hour long break to get something to eat and then we'll keep going."

Natalie simply nodded again, gratefully opening the canteen and taking a few long swigs out of it. Hiei was right. It wasn't even noon yet and she could feel the heat of the oncoming afternoon. When the sun was high in the sky, she had an uneasy feeling it was going to be scorching.

He crossed his arms and looked off to the side. "Tomorrow you should try manifesting your spirit weapon again. The sooner you can do it, the better. We need to get your body as adjusted to using reiki energy as we can before we leave for the Makai."

"Okay. Are we just working on me manifesting my weapon or do you want me to throw some blasts, too?"

Hiei blinked, a little surprised at this question. He seemed to think it over for a moment and then regarded her. "Although I would feel more at ease if you could do both right now, a week isn't nearly enough time, so we'll focus on what you know best, and once the trip is over, we'll work on your blasts."

She simply shrugged and nodded, taking another long swig from her canteen.

They spent the remainder of the break in silence until Hiei announced that her break was over and they had to get back to training. The woman stood up, doing what she could to ignore her body's protests, grabbed her boa, and prepared herself again.

Hiei noticed that Natalie seemed to slow down somewhat for the second round, but he decided to leave it be for today. He could tell from her expression and the smell of her that she was giving it everything she had. The fire demon wondered if she would even be conscious by the time he brought her back home.

Natalie fought on, trying to get her adrenaline to take over once more. She had no idea how much time had passed and she wasn't going to ask. For the next week, it was going to be Hiei calling the shots for her. She cringed inwardly and hoped he didn't let it go to his head. He was high and mighty as it was!

For the first time, she actually came close to striking Hiei, but the little demon moved in time to avoid her attack. The boa sliced through the air where he had been standing and went straight through the trunk of the tree that he had been standing on. To Natalie's shock, the tree started tipping over and she barely avoided being crushed by its weight by jumping out of the way. She landed a little awkwardly on the ground and felt a pain shoot from her left ankle and go up her leg to her knee. She ignored it, a little dumbfounded when the tree crashed to the ground.

The girl blinked slowly and looked at the boa she held her hands. She looked from the remains of the tree to her weapon once more.

"Okay... that was... unexpected..."

Hiei showed up at her side. "Your energy is becoming more compact, meaning your body is starting to remember how to form the boa. The more compact your energy becomes, the more damage you will be able to inflict with it."

She nodded and then realized that her stomach was aching. "How much longer until lunch?"

"Two hours." He looked at her. "I'll push you a little harder until that time comes, so you had best be ready."

Natalie felt her stomach drop hearing this, but she didn't object. She simply nodded quietly, not seeing the look Hiei was giving her. The girl looked at her boa again, imbuing it with her energy.

Even though he saw her hair was a mess, she had several minor injuries and was obviously exhausted, the woman's expression was one of pure determination. Then she took a couple steps and the fire yokai blinked, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"Why are you limping?"

She blinked, turning to look at him, and then turned her attention to her left ankle. "It's nothing big. It's because I landed a little awkwardly when the tree came down." She shrugged as if it didn't matter.

He shook his head, indicating a nearby log. "Sit."

Natalie normally would have blown her top at him, but to his ever growing shock, she did just as he had told her... again! Shaking off his surprise, he came forward to examine her ankle for himself.

Natalie froze as she felt Hiei slowly removing her shoe, and then felt his calloused fingers very gently probe her injury. She felt a sudden jolt of pain go up her leg and she wasn't able to keep herself from wincing.

He nodded. "You have a minor dislocation." He smirked inwardly as he positioned his fingers to slip the small bone back into place. "This is going to hurt," he said, giving her his only warning as he gave the bone a light jerk and set it back into its place.

Natalie gave a little jump at this and elicited a loud curse. But Hiei was shocked that she didn't say or do anything else. She just got to her feet hesitantly and tested her weight on the ankle.

"Thanks," she said. The injury still stung a little, but now that her bone was back in its proper place, she could move much easier than if she had just left her ankle the way that it was.

He crossed his arms and looked off to the side. "Hn. I don't think we've spent this much time together without us getting into a fight," he stated cautiously.

Natalie blinked and looked at him in surprise. Then she simply shrugged again. "I had it drilled into my head to not disagree with my sensei's. I could have bitten your head off on a few occasions today, but since we're doing nothing but sparring anyway, why waste energy with words?"

Hiei rose an eyebrow. "So you're saying what, onna?"

She shrugged again and gave him a smirk. "I'm saying I'll scream at you later. Right now I'm trying to conserve what energy I have left and am counting down the minutes till lunch time. But anyway... how about we keep going?" Natalie twirled her boa expertly and took up a fighting stance.

Hiei's own lips formed a smirk and he continued training her.

*****

Two hours passed and Hiei informed her that they would head back to the city to eat and then return. Without waiting for her response, he simply scooped her up in his arms and bounded away. Natalie took full advantage of the situation and simply let herself relax in his arms as the scenery passed by, little more than a blur.

Finally he settled down on a rooftop and set her down. Looking to the street below, they saw several restaurants. Natalie noticed the scowl of distaste on Hiei's face. She had a feeling he didn't want to go into any of them, not wanting to deal too much with ningens.

She pursed her lips slightly, alternating her gaze from Hiei to the human filled street just below them. "I could just run into one of them and grab something for the both of us," she said thoughtfully.

He looked at her for a moment, scowled again, and then reluctantly nodded. "Fine. Just make sure that whatever you get me has meat in it."

Nodding, Natalie jumped down into an alleyway and made her way out to the street. She entered a restaurant that looked as if it sold western cuisine, so she stepped in there and quickly made her order: two hamburgers. She simply had them make them up the way she always did, not sure of what Hiei's preferences were. Then, heading outside onto the street again, she got a hunch, stepped up to an ice cream salesman and ordered two soft vanilla cones. She just _had_ to see if this piece of conjecture dreamed up by the fans of the show was true or not.

Leaping back up to the top of the building where Hiei was still waiting for her, she smiled and handed him both the hamburger and the ice cream. Then the woman experienced a sight she never thought she would ever see.

Hiei's expression lit right up for a few brief but wonderful seconds, a genuinely happy smile splitting his face. He almost looked like an excited ten year old!!

"Sweet snow!" He said in surprise, his features becoming emotionless again seconds after the ice cream was in his hands. Apparently ignoring his hamburger for the time being, he quickly started to dig right in.

Natalie blinked in shock for a few minutes, before she let out a few little giggles. Curious, Hiei turned to regard her. "Onna?"

She quickly cleared her throat, though she couldn't keep a small amused smile from coming to her face. She smirked at him. "I guess your fans were right... you really _do_ have a weak spot for ice cream!"

The little fire demon's eyes narrowed and he frowned slightly. "Is there a problem with that, onna?"

She waved it off as she started on her own ice cream. "Why would there be a problem with it? I find it pretty c-" She stopped mid-word, her eyes going wide as she slapped a hand over her mouth and turned bright red. Kami!! She couldn't believe she almost said that right in front of _Hiei!_ Daring to cast a glance in his direction, she saw his eyes were now wide in surprise as he looked right at her. Natalie felt her throat constrict and her face turn redder from the embarrassment.

Had she not turned her eyes away, she would have seen an almost malicious smile cross Hiei's features. "You find it pretty _what, _Onna?"

His smile turned into a somewhat sinister smirk when he saw her blush deepen.

Natalie sighed inwardly, knowing he had caught her slip. There was no point in hiding it now. Just get the humiliation over and done with. She took in a deep breath as she felt more blood rushing to her head. "I... find it... cute," she said quietly, refusing to meet his gaze. She was sure that if Lisa were to see her friend in this situation, she would have been laughing herself sick.

Had Natalie been brave enough to glance up again, she would have seen something flicker in Hiei's eyes before he simply vanished, his smirk still in place.

Natalie didn't even have a clue he had moved until she felt a pair of very warm hands grip her shoulders. Hard on the heel of this, she felt Hiei's face beside her own and could feel his hot breath against her cheek as he spoke in a low slightly husky voice in her ear. "Is that right..._ Natalie?_" he purred softly.

Hiei had to hold himself back from laughing at her expression. The way her eyes popped out of her skull and she turned a blazing red was beyond comical. He was sure she would have fallen off the building if he didn't have his hands on her shoulders.

Then he paused as his nose picked up on her arousal. He did a quick consideration, taking into account his own personal self control, as well as the fact that there barely a trace of Kurama's scent upon her. Then he saw her tousled hair, battle worn body, and the light sheen of sweat that was making her skin glisten, and decided to go for it, smirking in a way that was nothing short of evil.

He leaned forward a little more and gently ran his hands down her arms. He had to fight to keep a self satisfied smirk on his face when she let out a little shiver. He allowed his lips to brush up against her earlobe and took in a deep sniff of her neck. Upon breathing in her delightful scent, he felt the traces of his inner beast stirring within. He decided on just a couple more jabs before leaving her be.

"What's the matter, onna? Am I... _distracting_ you?"

The woman stiffened slightly. "Oooohhh.... this isn't fair and you know it!!" she said, a tinge of anger in her voice. She almost whimpered when Hiei's hands settled on her hips instead.

Natalie wasn't sure if she wanted what Hiei was doing or not, but she couldn't deny that it sure as hell _felt_ good to have a guy touch her like this again (and still mind blowing to know that it was _Hiei_ who was doing that touching). His lips brushed against her ear again and she couldn't help but shiver in pleasure.

"Are you enjoying this, onna?" he murmured in possibly the most seductive tone Natalie had ever heard.

"I..." She took in a sharp intake of breath when his hands started making a trail up the sides of her body, moving upward toward her breasts. He stopped just an inch or so short of them.

The smell of the woman's arousal was getting stronger with each passing second, and Hiei felt his beasts stirrings intensify right along with it. He decided it would be best to bring this to an end, no matter how much he enjoyed watching the onna squirm.

He let out a chuckle, there mere sound of which sent Natalie's heart pounding. A small voice in his mind told him to see just how far she would let him go, but he shoved that annoying voice out of his mind before he could consider it. After their time in the tree a few nights ago, Hiei was trying not to underestimate his own self control.

He smirked. "Hn. So tell me, onna... have you fantasized about me lately? Or do you save that for in your _own_ world?"

Natalie's eyes bugged out of her head once more and she turned cherry red. However, he also smelled her anger come to the surface... something that made his smirk widen. He pulled back slightly when he felt her tense.

"_What?! _First of all, how _dare_ you!! Just because you _know_ things like that about me, doesn't give you a right to ask questions like that!!"

He let his smirk grow until it was nearly splitting his face. "And here I thought you were going to complain about me touching you. It's nice to know you enjoyed it." He backed up and crossed his arms, letting his eyes bore into her.

She whirled, losing the top of her partially melted ice cream in the process. She didn't seem to care less about the ice cream, however. Her eyes were wide and a wild blush went across her face, a combination of rage and embarrassment. Her body started shaking in shocked anger. "Why... you...!!! You arrogant, self satisfied, little...!!!!" She held herself back from calling him a Son of a Bitch, not knowing if he'd take that too personally or not. She growled very impressively for a human. "When this break is over, I'm going to..."

"...make the sad attempt to inflict bodily harm upon me. You'll get your chance soon, onna. Break is over in ten minutes, so if you want to eat, I suggest you do it quickly."

Her hands were clenched into tight fists and the expression on her face was almost murderous, causing Hiei to smile inwardly. Ah, yes... their spars were always better when she was angry. The fire demon felt his anticipation increase for the first time that day.

Natalie made quick work of her burger and sent a look at Hiei that told him she was ready. Nodding, he started off going at a speed that was deliberately just a little faster than her apparent top speed. He was determined to make the woman push herself to her physical limits. If he had his way, she wouldn't be conscious by the time they were finished today. Still, that didn't mean he couldn't have a _little_ fun while he was at it.

As he expected, Natalie attacked him full force when they returned, and he knew her newfound strength had little to do with the break they had just had. The womans strength and speed seemed to increase with her temper... something that oddly delighted the koorime.

Natalie wasn't even sure how long they were supposed to spar this time before taking a break, but she didn't ask. At the moment she simply didn't care. She was too busy trying to beat the crap out of Hiei... which didn't seem to be getting her anywhere, really, but it felt good. The nerve of that... that... perverted midget!! Asking her such things and being all smug and self satisfied. She just wanted to smack that smirk of his off of his face.

Unfortunately, that wasn't happening, and her frustration was building up within her with each failed strike.

Her body was beyond sore and it felt like her legs were barely able to support her own weight, but she didn't care as she lunged at him again, boa glowing with her spirit energy. Hiei simply dodged or countered every one of her attacks, and then he suddenly made an offensive move with his bamboo sword, Natalie barely able to leap out of the way before he could take out her knee cap.

However, she didn't have time to react when she had just landed from her jump and felt something slam into her. She lost her boa somehow in the struggle, and finally found herself flat on her back, Hiei's makeshift sword at her throat.

Natalie took in a few deep gasping breaths, trying to get her oxygen level back up again. She could feel branches and rocks digging into her back, her entire body felt like it was made of jello. She didn't even know if she would be able to stand up. She let out a sigh and opened her eyes.

Hiei's face was scant inches from her own, his ruby eyes blazing into her own. She felt her breath catch in her throat. If Hiei was at all winded, he didn't show any sign of it. Then she froze as he brushed some of her hair out of her face, a smirk playing on his lips.

"You lose, onna. Are you ready to try again?" he asked, an arrogant smirk on his face.

She got an annoyed expression on her face and she gave him half a glare. "If you get off me, I might."

It almost looked as if an expression of indecision crossed Hiei's face, but it was gone before Natalie could be sure. He climbed off of her and watched as she struggled to get back to her feet. Her legs were quivering weakly beneath her, but she was as stubborn as ever. She located her weapon and picked it up, almost stumbling in the process before her feet found purchase once more, and she imbued it with her energy again, this time straining somewhat. Hiei saw her legs quiver beneath her again and nodded to himself.

She wouldn't last much longer. She was making a valiant effort, but she simply didn't have the kind of strength to stand up to him and have a hope in hell of winning.

She decided she was going to try again, however. She had slowed down significantly, though. Hiei slowed his own speed for her benefit, to give her a half chance in hell.

After dodging her attacks for almost a half hour, Hiei decided it was time to end it. He whipped out his leg and his foot slammed into her chest, sending her flying.

Natalie felt herself go flying through the air and time seemed to slow down for a moment as her vision wavered. Her body was refusing to follow her mental commands, so she couldn't shift her position in midair or try to absorb the upcoming impact in the least painful way possible.

_This is going to hurt..._ she thought, trying to mentally brace herself for the impact. Her vision started going dark just as she felt a set of arms fly around her torso and her back against a finely toned chest.

Hiei realized almost immediately that the woman was on the verge of losing consciousness and wouldn't be able to stop herself from slamming into the ground. With a burst of speed, he caught her and slid his feet along the ground to stop her trip. When he had done so, he had the woman in his arms, her head limp against his chest. He was a little concerned until he saw the steady rise and fall of her chest and internally breathed a sigh of relief.

He took a few moments to do a quick check up on her. She was covered in bruises and a few scratches and scrapes, but otherwise seemed to be all right. However, she was also completely and utterly drained of her spirit energy. She would be lucky if she was back up to par tomorrow, but he had a feeling that not only was that _not _going to happen, but she was going to be sore as all hell.

He considered her injuries again, briefly thought of healing some of them, but then shoved the thought from his mind. If she was conscious, then fine. But passed out like this, it just felt too much like taking advantage of her. His best options were to either bring her home and wake her up and heal her then, or go to the fox and see if he could provide the koorime with some sort of healing ointment to take care of her injuries. Hiei would have to still apply it to her injuries himself, but at least he would just be using his hands and not his tongue. Thinking this over for the span of a few seconds, he decided that bringing her straight to Kurama would be the best bet. Then he could simply bring her home and let her rest.

Retrieving her boa, he scooped her up into his arms and shot off for Kurama's apartment.

*****

**Okay, just telling you now, the next chapter is going to be rated R. It doesn't have sex in it, but there are scenes that are going to be a little... :ahem: 'hands on.' XD**


	22. Chapter 22

**Hey everyone!! Here's Chapter 22 of Slight Problem!!**

**I own nothing but my own characters, Natalie and Lisa. ^^**

**************

Kurama entered his apartment, Lisa in tow. They had spent a long day at the local museum and historical landmarks. Most of the restaurants were closed at this hour, so they decided to go to his place to get a bite to eat, and then he would escort her home.

They weren't expecting to see Hiei standing in the kitchen, the limp form of Natalie in his arms. Lisa immediately let out a cry of alarm as Kurama's eyes widened.

Hiei quickly put their worries to rest. "She's fine. Just exhausted. All her injuries are minor."

Lisa's eyes were wide. "What happened?"

Hiei was actually a little surprised that Kurama hadn't told the woman himself. Then he shrugged. "I'm training to prepare her for a trip to Demon World."

Her eyes were saucers now. "Natalie's going to Demon World?!"

Kurama nodded. "Yes. Apparently Mukuro wants to meet her for herself and isn't giving Natalie or Hiei any choice in the matter. If she doesn't go willingly, then Mukuro will simply have some of her underlings come to Human World and take her by force."

Lisa stared at him in shock, but didn't ask why the fox hadn't told her before now. Then she guessed that he didn't want to worry or scare her.

Hiei looked down at the woman lying in his arms. "Fox, if you can make a salve to heal her injuries, I would appreciate it."

Kurama blinked. "Why don't you just heal her on your own?"

The conscious woman blinked and looked at Kurama in surprise. "Hiei can _heal?"_ she asked, never seeing him display this ability on the show.

Kurama nodded, while she could almost swear she saw Hiei's face turn slightly red. "Yes. But his methods are rather... involved. Hiei uses his saliva to heal on the rare occasion that he does it."

Lisa stared at him for a moment. "Saliva?" She took in her friends beaten form and turned a blazing red. She never noticed Kurama smirk when he saw this.

The kitsune turned his attention to her. "Lisa, you may feel free to help yourself to the food in the fridge and cupboards. You don't need to worry about any of my plants attacking you since I'm here, but I need to take care of Natalie's ointment. Once you've eaten your fill and Natalie's ointment is completed, I'll walk you home.

Lisa nodded, agreeing with him immediately. "Okay, thank you."

He gave her a small nod and went to the counter, starting to prepare the salve. Hiei told him he would be waiting with Natalie in the guest room and left the kitchen, while Lisa started peeking in the fridge for something to satisfy her grumbling stomach.

Only ten minutes after he entered the room and placed Natalie gently on the bed, Kurama came in with a bowl of yellowish cream. He hesitated. "Should I apply it to her injuries or would you like to do it yourself?"

He was shocked when he heard a low growl coming from Hiei's chest. "I will handle healing her myself, Kurama. Once Lisa is finished eating, you can feel free to take her home."

Kurama hesitated. "You're not worried about your self control?"

Hiei smirked maliciously. "I didn't lose control of myself all day, fox... and there were several situation where I could have taken full advantage of her if I had chosen to do so. She'll be fine."

Kurama's eyebrows shot up into his hair, hearing this. He made a mental note to ask Natalie about what she had been doing with Hiei later.

"So... have you determined exactly what it is that's going on between the two of you?" he asked plainly.

Hiei looked at him for a long moment and then he sighed, accepting the bowl of salve and set it down on the nightstand.

He crossed his arms and looked at the bare wall. "I have determined that I am _physically_ attracted to her, but beyond that I don't know anything yet."

Kurama had to hold himself back from smirking. It was a step in the right direction, and it actually surprised the kitsune that Hiei had admitted even that little bit to him. "You're going to have to come to some form of resolution soon, Hiei. What will you do when your heat cycle hits in a couple more months and you're still uncertain?"

"Hn. I'll just go to demon world if things aren't settled by then and take care of my urges there."

Kurama simply couldn't hold back an amused smirk now. "You're not worried that it will make Natalie jealous?"

Hiei growled again. "Listen Fox... I will handle this situation on my own. When the time comes I'll discuss it with the onna. If I need advice I'll come to you."

The redhead shrugged nonchalantly and then nodded. "Very well. I will leave you be with her then so you can get her home tonight." He hesitated again. "Would you like my assistance in preparing Natalie for Demon World?"

Hiei rose a critical eyebrow at him. "Look at her, Fox. I don't think she can get much more training than that. I can handle it."

He smirked. "Yes, I can see. You really are good at wearing the poor thing out, aren't you?" he said.

Hiei's eyes narrowed, not missing the implications behind his words. "Don't make me cut out your precious voice box, Kurama."

Before Kurama could say anything to this, the woman on the bed let out a little moan and her head rolled to the side.

The kitsune looked at Hiei. "I'll leave you be now. I should make sure Lisa gets a filling meal and then walk her back home."

The koorime nodded and stayed where he was until Kurama had left the room and closed the door behind him. Then he walked to Natalie's bedside and gently roused her.

He placed a hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. "Onna... wake up."

Natalie's eyebrows furrowed slightly, but she didn't show any inclination to wake up.

After trying unsuccessfully for a few long moments, Hiei smirked as an idea came to him. He leaned forward, placing his mouth right next to her ear. Then, in the most seductive voice he could, he murmured in her ear.

"_Natalie... wake up, little onna," _he purred.

He smirked when the woman took in a deep, startled breath, turned bright red, and got aroused, her eyes snapping open wide for a few seconds. Then her eyes turned half lidded as she looked around a little. Hiei settled back into his original position, standing beside her bed, this time with his arms crossed as he looked at her with a small smirk on his face.

Realizing who it was that woke her up, she turned a little redder and spared him a fairly impressive glare, considering she was only half conscious. "Next time can't you just pop a paper bag filled with air by my head or something?" Then she yawned and blinked. "What happened anyway?" Her voice was just a little higher than a whisper.

"You lost consciousness during our training session. I had to catch you to prevent you from becoming seriously injured. You ran your energy dry, onna. I brought you to Kurama's to heal you."

She blinked hearing this. "Kurama's going to heal me?"

He shook his head. "He's walking Lisa home right now. But he made me a salve to apply to your injuries."

Her mind blearily took note of where many of her aches and pains were coming from and turned very red. "You mean... you're... going to... apply the salve?" An image of Hiei rubbing his hands across her body filled her mind.

Hiei shrugged easily. "Well, we don't have to do it that way if you don't want. But that just means I would have to use my... _other_ method. You do remember that method, don't you, onna?" he asked, a smirk coming across his face.

Natalie's eyes went enormous and she turned cherry red as she remembered Hiei licking her hand almost a week before. An image tried to come into her mind, but she quickly shoved it out of her head.

"Um... er.... The... salve is... fine," she said in a small voice, still blazing red.

"Hn. I thought you might say that," he said somewhat smugly as he picked up the bowl. He looked down at her again. "Can you undress yourself right now, or do you need help?"

Natalie's throat constricted when her brain processed this question. She quickly did a small test of herself, and wished a hole would just open up beneath her when she realized her entire body felt like it was made of lead and she could barely make her fingers twitch.

She couldn't get any redder, thankfully, so she just carefully avoided looking at Hiei while she nervously replied to his question.

"Um.... I can't... really move... right now... uh...." She wished she could run out of the room and hide. Kami!! She could NOT believe this was happening to her!! _Hiei_ was going to take her _clothes_ off!!!

She felt a deliciously warm hand cup her cheek and turn her head so she was looking right at him. "I'm not going to hurt you, Natalie. And I won't lose my self control. You can relax. I'll bring you back to the detectives place as soon as I'm done."

She took in a deep breath and slowly nodded. She didn't think that Hiei would hurt her at all. But knowing that his hands were going to be on her bare body made her beyond nervous. And she had an uneasy feeling that she wouldn't be able to control her _own_ reactions.

A moment passed before Hiei slowly started to help her sit up. She found herself leaning against his shoulder, and the smell of burnt pine filled her nostrils. She felt Hiei's hands grip the bottom of her shirt and gently started pulling it upward, carefully lifting her arms as he did so.

When he saw Natalie sitting there in nothing but a bra and pair of pants, Hiei started to question his self control. Her breasts, which were most certainly larger than average, were snugly fit into the cups of the bra, and were perfectly rounded. The bra was black and lacy, well fitted, and effectively covered her. But for some reason, the thought of seeing her without that constricting contraption almost set his blood on fire.

Looking over her shoulder, he saw the clasp in the back and undid it. Then, he slowly took it off her, the straps sliding off of her shoulders. He gently layed her back down on the bed as he put her shirt and bra on the nearby dresser. Then he turned back to the bed and froze for a moment.

Seeing the woman lying there with her chest fully exposed almost made his breath catch in his throat. He was barely able to keep his expression neutral. Her body looked exquisite, the skin smooth, her muscles wonderfully toned. As he approached her side once more, he noticed her nipples were erect, and he had to suddenly fight the urge to lean over and take one of those beautiful little morsels in his mouth.

He shook the notion from his mind as he picked up the bowl once again and focused on her injuries instead. Deciding it made the most sense (and would probably be slightly less awkward), he started from the top and worked his way down. He inspected her face, dipped his fingers into the mixture, warmed it with a bit of his youki and started applying it to her injuries.

The cuts on her forehead and cheek, as well as a nasty bruise on her jaw were healed with no problem. However, when he started working his way down her neck and toward her chest, he felt her unease starting to build up once more. Looking at her chest where a boot print shaped bruise had formed due to his last attack against her, he wished he had simply aimed for her stomach instead.

Well, it was a little late to do anything about it now. He couldn't let her go through training tomorrow with the injuries she had now, so he had little choice but to heal it, no matter how uncomfortable it might make her.

So, taking more ointment and warming it to limit her discomfort, he gently started applying it to her breasts, trying to keep himself indifferent. That was easier said than done when his finger brushed up against the nipple of her left breast and she quickly bit down on her lower lip to try to stifle a moan with only minor success. Hard on the heels of this, he smelled her arousal stronger than he had before and he paused, freezing in place.

If Natalie could squirm at the moment, she'd be a worm, and the situation was becoming more and more uncomfortable for her with each passing moment. It was too similar to the incident she'd had with Dave. Her inability to move while someone was laying their hands on her body was making her remember things she'd been fighting to forget for years now. And also remembering Hiei's questionable control when she was in the tree with him wasn't helping her unease.

"Um... Hiei, are you sure this is a good idea? I hope this isn't insulting to you in any way, but after the incident in the tree a few days ago..."

Hiei took in a deep breath and fought back the beast within. "We will be all right, onna. I will _not_ take advantage of a woman who is completely helpless."

Natalie took in a deep breath of her own, tried to force herself to relax, and nodded. Nothing had happened yet. She just had to keep herself calm and get through this. Then Hiei would take her home and...

And then tomorrow the entire process would wind up repeating itself. Did this mean that Hiei was going to be giving her entire body a rub down every day this week?

Just the thought of it made her caught between being uneasy and becoming further aroused.

Satisfied that Natalie's discomfort had at least been partially weaned, Hiei continued, moving on to the other breast. Having to actually apply the salve directly to the nipple itself this time, the woman beneath him was unable to hold back the moan and her head rolled to the side to try and hold on to what little dignity she had left. Her face was a blazing red. He saw her bite down on her lower lip again and she was desperately trying to control her breathing. He felt her unease growing once more.

Hiei frowned inwardly. She hadn't had a man touch her this intimately in two years, and the last time she tried something like this, the relationship had ended due to the fact that she simply couldn't handle this form of attention. Her body was completely unaccustomed to it, and her mind associated this form of contact with pain and helplessness, which was not helping matters. Especially since at the moment, she really truly _was_ helpless.

He was almost as relieved as she was when he finished applying the salve to her right breast, and moved on to her stomach. The discomfort was slightly lessened now, but not by much. It also wasn't helping Hiei that she was still aroused, and becoming more aroused with each passing minute.

Rubbing the salve on the sides of her torso brought her discomfort level up once more, and he guessed it was simply a region that was sensitive for her.

Doing a double check on her entire torso with his eyes to ensure he had gotten all the injuries, he moved on to her arms, and he felt a flood of relief flow from the onna.

Her arms and hands didn't take up much time at all, and soon her upper half was finished, save for her back which he planned to do last.

He looked at her, somehow able to keep on with his composure. He felt his beast prowling within, however, and he knew he was going to have to keep a close watch on it from this point on.

"We're half way done, onna."

Natalie looked at him for a long moment, and realized he was hinting that he would have to unclothe her lower half next. She moaned again, but this time it was not one of pleasure. "Shit."

He couldn't help it as he felt his lips quirk slightly. "I will try to do this as quickly as I can, Natalie. I know it's not easy, but try to keep yourself relaxed."

The look she gave him suggested that such a thing was patently impossible, but there was little they could do about it at this point. She took in a shaky breath and nodded, her unease now growing by leaps and bounds.

He quickly undid her jeans and then carefully removed them. He avoided looking at her as he simply folded the garments and placed them on the dresser with the rest of her clothes. Then he mentally steeled himself and returned to her side, trying with minor success to keep himself composed as he examined the injuries on her lower half. Thankfully, the chance of her having injuries on her most intimate region was slim to none, so there was no need for him to remove her panties (which he couldn't help but note were black and lacy). At least, there wasn't any reason for him to remove them until he rolled her over. He bit back a curse when he realized her ass was probably one enormous bruise from all the falls she had taken.

Taking in a deep breath, he reached for the salve again, a little more hesitant to do this now that he was actually at the most critical point of the operation. Touching her breasts were one thing, but this was going to go far beyond that when it came to her sensitivity.

He started by applying the salve to a large scrape that went up the side of her right thigh, and he immediately felt Natalie stiffen and her unease skyrocketed. Knowing he had little choice, he simply ignored it for now and worked in the mixture. However, when he focused on a large bruise that was on the _inner_ portion of her thigh, things got far more complicated.

Natalie was desperately trying to keep herself calm as he started working on her lower half, but it was getting harder and harder with each passing second. The feel of his hands rubbing her bare thighs was both heavenly and nightmarish, considering the memories it was dredging up from the back of her mind.

But when his hands started rubbing the inside of her thighs, she couldn't help it as she let out a loud moan as she felt a surge of heat go through her. That heat pooled in the pit of her stomach and she felt her panties moisten slightly.

Simple arousal was one thing, but when he smelled her juices along with it, his inner beast began a renewed assault against his barrier. It howled, enraged at being held back. Every single one of Hiei's primal instincts wanted him to pounce on the woman and fuck her senseless.

Natalie's unease turned to fear when she saw red bleeding into Hiei's eyes. Then he blinked and quickly backed away from her, almost dropping the bowl in the process. He quickly set it on the dresser, and held his head, a low growl issuing forth from deep in his chest.

"Onna! I have to... distance myself from you, or I'll do something we will both regret!" He charged out the door without another word, causing Natalie to breath an immense sigh of relief.

**********

Once Hiei was in Kurama's living room, away from the scents being given off from Natalie, he was able to fight back the beast within far more easily. He snarled at his own show of weakness.

He would be able to heal her on his own perfectly fine if it wasn't for those delicious smells she was giving off! There had to be some way for him to heal her without risking he was going to lose his self control.

Just as this thought finished going through his mind, the door to Kurama's apartment opened and the kitsune walked in, having brought Lisa safely home. He blinked, seeing Hiei leaning against the arm of the couch.

"Hiei? Don't tell me you're finished healing her already?"

The koorime scowled. "It's... more difficult than I thought to keep myself in control. Especially now that I'm trying to focus on her _lower_ half. I had to leave the room or else a few bruises and scrapes would have been the _least_ of her worries."

Kurama frowned in thought. "Are you certain you don't want me to finish for you? Although Youko is known for his sexual appetite, I would be able to keep him under control since our focus is now primarily on Lisa herself..."

Hiei snarled at him. "If you go in there right now, I'll kill you! She's wearing nothing but a pair of panties and she's uncomfortable as it is! After her encounter with Youko, it would make her feel even _more_ uneasy than if it's with me!"

He blinked. "Uneasy? From the way you were talking, I thought she was _enjoying_ the experience..."

The hybrid sighed. "Her _body_ is reacting normally to the process, but her mind is being drawn back to darker memories. The fact that she's completely helpless right now is not helping to abate her fears either."

"I see." The kitsune considered for a moment. "Unfortunately, there is nothing we can do about her fear, but there _is_ something we can do to limit your reaction to her arousal." He swept his fingers through his hair and brought forth a seed. Using his power to make it grow, he plucked a leaf off of a rather ordinary looking plant and handed it to him. Even before he took it, Hiei could smell the stench of it.

"The Makai Stink Weed. It should numb your sense of smell considerably, helping you to maintain your self control. Just sniff it and it should do the job nicely." He reverted the plant to a seed once more and placed it into his hair once again.

Hiei felt a flood of relief go through him hearing this. His self control should be much easier to maintain while the effects of the plant lasted. He placed the leaf under his nose and breathed in deeply, fighting to maintain his composure at the horrific stench. Then he pocketed the leaf and nodded his thanks to the kitsune before he reentered the bedroom to finish his job.

**********

Natalie was struggling to calm herself down after Hiei left the room in a rush. She kept reminding herself that this situation was different than the one she'd been involved with in the past. If Hiei had truly wanted to take full advantage of her, there had been many opportunities for him to do so earlier. And the fact that he forcefully removed himself from her side when his self control came into question again both relieved her and brought her respect for him up hugely.

Then she heard a door open out in the main part of the home, and heard the muffled sound of conversation behind the closed door of the bedroom. Kurama had come back. Was Hiei going to have him finish healing her?

Somehow that thought made her more uneasy than before. Especially after her encounter with _Youko._ In spite of the fact that Kurama's main interest was Lisa now, that kitsune's libido set her on edge.

So she was slightly relieved when the door opened and Hiei entered the room alone, looking as calm as ever. But then she remembered he was going to keep on with the healing and her unease rose up once again.

Hiei did something she didn't expect though. He came right up to her bedside and gave her a little smirk. "You can relax now, onna. The fox gave me something to numb my sense of smell, so you don't need to worry about my self control any more. Even if you can't control your reaction, I can control my own. So let's just get this over and done with so you can go home and sleep. It's going to be another long day of training tomorrow."

Natalie gave him a small frown now. "There's probably going to be a repeat of this tomorrow, too, isn't there?" she asked him pointedly.

His smirk vanished and he nodded. "Yes. But, think of it in this way: once you've gone through this enough times, maybe you'll stop associating a man's touch with the man who hurt you. Because I refuse to lose my own self control, Natalie. I will _never_ rape you."

She looked at him for a long moment before giving him the bare trace of a smile and a small nod. "Let's just do this."

Nodding, he retrieved the bowl of the salve once more, and returned to her side. Then he simply dipped his fingers within, and continued on where he had left off.

The feel of his hands very gently brushing over her thighs to rub in the mixture was sending her into a state between euphoria and hell. She knew he had to be noticing all the little moans and whimpers she was giving off, but fortunately, was not able to smell her arousal anymore. The fact that her panties were pretty much soaked in the span of a few moments was a testament to what he was doing to her.

It was a long ten minutes before he finished off healing her lower half, ending with the ankle she had landed on awkwardly earlier on in the day. Once that was finished, he seemed to be just as relieved as she was. Then his eyes met hers and he gave her a nod.

"Now we just have to heal your backside and we're finished."

The relief she felt hearing this was palpable. Hiei didn't need his sense of smell to know that it was the best news the woman had heard all day.

Gently rolling her over onto her stomach, he took in the scratches, scrapes and bruises that decorated her back. Then he dipped his fingers into the mixture once again and proceeded to treat the injuries.

A few long moments passed before he heard her give a pleased little sigh. "Now _this_ I can definitely get used to. It almost makes the entire day worth it."

Hiei smirked. "Hn. I figured you would be relieved to have this done last."

A tired little smile played on her lips. "Mmm... you figured right. If there's one thing I don't mind you touching, it's my back." Her voice was getting slightly slurred, and Hiei felt her mind drifting away. He shrugged inwardly. Now that the worst of the experience was over, he saw no harm in letting her get back to sleep.

Once he finished her back, he looked into her mind once more and saw she was out. He carefully exposed her ass (which was nice and firm) and applied the ointment, feeling only minimal discomfort coming from the woman, and a barely perceptible moan.

Once he had given the ointment a few moments to soak into her skin, he gently rolled her over onto her stomach once more and quickly turned away when he saw his eyes being drawn to her breasts again. Instead he retrieved her clothing and proceeded back to the bed, single mindedly focusing on redressing her.

Through the process of replacing her shirt, she regained consciousness once more, blinking sleepily.

"You can go back to sleep, Natalie. Once I finish dressing you, I'll bring you straight back to the detective's so you can sleep the night." She was currently seated in his lap, one arm around her shoulders to keep her steady, and the other hand working on getting the shirt in its proper position. She was still bare from the waist down, but her pants (which had most definitely seen better days) were in easy reach.

The woman looked at him a little sleepily, before her head shifted and her face was buried in the crook of his neck once more. He could sense a bare trace of unease, and knew she was still awake, but simply too tired to argue or engage in any form of conversation. He smirked inwardly. _I guess she's done being a stubborn little onna today,_ he thought.

He soon completed his job, laying the woman on the bed for a moment to inform Kurama that he was finished and now leaving.

"Just a moment," the Fox said, handing over a small container with a lid. "She will likely be very sore when she wakes up, in spite of the salve. In the morning, have her drink this and it should greatly relieve the pain."

Hiei felt a flood of relief go through him as he accepted the container. Natalie was most definitely going to be sore the next day and he had been worried that it would affect her ability to train. He nodded his thanks to the kitsune, and then returned to Natalie. He carefully scooped her now sleeping form up, and headed out the window.

**********

Almost the second Hiei entered Natalie's bedroom, her door flung open and Yusuke came charging in. "Where the hell were....?!" he started before Hiei gave him a death glare.

_Detective, unless you want me to cut out your voice box, I suggest you shut up before you wake the onna._

Yusuke blinked and his eyes widened significantly when his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room and he saw the condition she was in. His mouth opened as if he was about to say something before he clamped it shut again, noting that Hiei was still giving him his infamous glare.

_I will explain in a moment._ He set her down on the bed, not bothering with a blanket this night, before he grabbed the detective by the arm and dragged him out of the room. The moment the door was closed behind them, Hiei turned to the Mazoku and explained what was going on.

Yusuke was now frowning deeply. "Mukuro wants to meet Natalie? Why?"

Hiei sighed a little irritably, sick of being asked the same questions over and over again. "I don't _know._ All I know is she won't harm her. And before you ask, she knows about Natalie because she sent spies out to check up on me and they informed Mukuro of our... interactions."

For the first time, when it came to Natalie and Hiei, Yusuke was serious as he nodded. "And when is she...?"

"Six days from now," he said, cutting him off. "I will be training her every day until then."

Yusuke thought back on the condition the woman had been in when he had seen her in the bedroom and winced slightly. "Damn, Hiei. I think you're as bad as Grandma when it comes to your training regimen. She's going to be in a world of pain in the morning."

He nodded and held up the container Kurama had given him, explaining its use. "Her injuries should be mostly healed by morning from the salve I applied as well."

He blinked. "Salve?" Hiei moaned inwardly when he saw the cat-like grin crossing his face again, and he honestly wasn't sure if he was relieved or not when the door opened and Atsuko walked in with a man hanging off her arm, both of them obviously drunk.

"Oh, hey Yusuke. This is Karo. He's going to be staying here for th' night," she slurred. Stumbling slightly, she let out a drunken giggle as she hung up her summer coat and the two of them started raiding the fridge.

Taking in the man, with his spiked hair (held in place with wax) pierced lip, eyebrow, worn leather jacket and threadbare jeans that were torn just below his ass, Yusuke's smile vanished in an instant. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed irritably.

"I knew I should've just stayed at Keiko's..." he muttered under his breath.

Hiei smirked. "I'll be spending the next few nights in the tree outside Natalie's window, detective." He opened the door to her room and then looked back at him, his smirk still in place. _I'll put up a shield to prevent the noise from awakening the onna. You, however, are on your own._ With that he fully entered the room and closed the door behind him.

**********

**Please Review everyone! I want to know what you think!**


	23. Chapter 23

**Hey everyone! It's been quite a while! I think (hope) that I'm finally getting back into the game here, and I really appreciate everyone's patience with me. Well, in any event....**

**Here is Chapter 23 of Slight Problem! Read, enjoy, and PLEASE review!**

**I do not own any of the characters from Yu Yu Hakusho. All I own is Lisa and Natalie.**

When Hiei woke from his perch, he saw that the sun would soon be making its way over the horizon. He had best wake Natalie so they could make sure she was in the best physical condition she could be when they started her training for the day.

He entered her bedroom window and approached her bedside. He looked down at her peaceful features for a moment and then inwardly sighed. He shook her shoulder.

"Onna. It's time to wake up."

Natalie let out a little groan as her eyes opened and she looked at him. While she tried to look pissed off, her features were still too weary for her to really pull it off. She reached for her alarm clock and looked at it.

"Damn, you're a hard taskmaster, Hiei," she said, her voice still heavy with sleep. "It's only four thirty in the morning."

He shrugged. "We're not going to leave for an hour yet. I just woke you up so we could take care of any lingering pains you still have and give you a few minutes to get ready."

She let out a heavy sigh and started to sit up when an audible crack cut through the room. Natalie bit down on her tongue to keep from screaming when a jolt of pain went through her back. She flopped back down onto the bed.

"I have the uneasy feeling that today is SERIOUSLY going to suck," she muttered. "My back feels like it's under the wheel of a semi."

Without saying a word, Hiei gently rolled Natalie onto her stomach and pulled up her shirt. The bruising and scratches were now gone thanks to Kurama's salve, but her muscles were undoubtedly very knotted from all the training they had done yesterday. The koorime reached out with his hands and started kneading her back with the pads of his fingers. First she let out a hiss of pain, and then settled down once more. Then she let out a soft sigh and her eyes slid shut.

After a moment, she let a small smile come to her face. "You're going to put me to sleep, Hiei."

He smirked. "You can feel free to sleep until I'm done. Then I'll give you a pain killer the fox gave me, you can get ready, and we'll head out."

"Mmkay," she said, promptly falling asleep.

Hiei worked out the knots in her back for a full half hour before rousing her once again.

He handed her the container Kurama had given him the night before. "Drink this. It will take care of the rest of your body pains."

She took the container, popped off the lid, and almost fell over when the stench of the concoction hit her. One of her hands flew over her nose. "Good Goddess! That smells like something that came out of a landfill!"

He wordlessly handed her a canteen of water, giving her his neutral look.

Natalie caught the look he was giving her and interpreted it as "Just drink it and shut up". Sighing, she plugged her nose, and treated the small container like a shot glass filled with tequila and just shot it back, gagging as she did so. Then she chased the horrible taste back as well as she could with the water Hiei had given her.

Then she stood up and stretched, wincing slightly as she did so. "Okay... I'll get dressed and have a bite to eat..." She trailed off when she caught her reflection in the mirror and winced. "After I have a quick shower."

Hiei shrugged. "Hn. Whatever."

Having a feeling that was his way of saying "Go do whatever you need", Natalie grabbed a new set of clothes from her drawer and headed into the bathroom. Once the dried blood and grime from her training the day before was washed down the drain, she headed into the kitchen to get something to eat.

She looked in the fridge and the cupboards and sighed a little irritably. "What the hell? Does that woman live off of alcohol or something? There isn't so much as a cracker in this house." She sighed and headed back up to her room where Hiei was still waiting for her. Natalie grabbed her wallet.

"There's no food in this house so I'm going to have to find a coffee house that sells muffins or something so I don't start training today on an empty stomach."

He straightened from his position leaning against her wall. "So we're heading out, then?"

She nodded. "May as well. The sooner we go, the sooner I can eat and start training."

Giving her a single nod, Hiei leaped out the window, Natalie right on his tail. After having a quick look around, they found a place called The Morning Glory Coffee House. Natalie figured she could use a good dose of caffeine this morning. She glanced at Hiei.

"You want anything for breakfast?"

The demon looked at the place doubtfully. "Would they have anything with meat?"

She looked at the place a little doubtfully herself now. "In a place like that, I think the best they could do at this time of morning would probably be something like a ham sandwich."

He scowled. "I'll wait until lunch."

She shrugged. "Okay. I'll just be a few minutes."

Two coffee's and a bagel later, Hiei and Natalie were roof jumping once more, making their way to their usual training ground.

Lisa was a little surprised when Kurama showed up on Kuwabara's doorstep at eight in the morning. He smiled at her apologetically.

"I know I told you we would go on a hike this morning, but mother had some unexpected business to take care of out of town and asked me to run a few errands for her this morning. We can go on the hike tomorrow morning, if you would like."

She smiled. "That's okay. I can find something to do with Shizuru or Kuwabara this morning instead."

His smile turned relieved now. "Very well. I'll bring you to that pastry shop four blocks down when I'm finished my errands. It should only take me a few hours. I'll call before I come over."

She nodded, her smile still in place. "That sounds great! I'll talk to you then."

He inclined his head toward her, gave her his most winning smile (being rewarded with her adorable blush), and then turned and headed back down the street so he could carry out his mother's requests.

Several hours later, Lisa was making a batch of muffins for Shizuru and Kazuma. As she set the finished batch onto the kitchen table, Shizuru smiled at her. "You didn't need to do this for us, Lisa. Not that we don't appreciate it or anything..."

The other woman smiled pleasantly. "Oh, it's no problem! I have to pull my weight around here somehow, and you're not even asking me for rent!"

Shizuru waved it off. "We're still doing okay with our inheritance after mom and dad died and my job as a hairdresser."

Kuwabara nodded in agreement as he immediately dug into the muffins. "Yeah. Cooking for us is more than payment enough!Besides, you cook and bake a hundred times better than sis- OW!" He was cut off when the brunette walloped him upside the head.

"Don't insult my cooking, bro." While Kazuma was rubbing the spot she hit, she leaned in close to Lisa. "Give me some cooking tips later."

She immediately giggled and nodded.

After indulging themselves with their little snack, Shizuru was just starting to clean off the table, and Kuwabara was filling the sink with water, when both of their heads jerked up simultaneously.

"Sis, do you feel that?"

She nodded immediately and dropped what she was doing. "Yeah..." Her eyes had widened a little, and from watching the series, Lisa knew that it was something serious.

"What's... going on?" she asked, not quite sure if she wanted to know or not.

Kuwabara was frowning deeply now. "Demons... and they're approaching fast!" He activated his reiki sword and looked at his sister. "Sis! Get yourself and Lis' out of here! I'll hold them off an'...."

Before he could finish his sentence, there was a loud crash at the back door as several demons busted their way in.

One of them spotted Lisa and pointed. "That's the one! Grab her!"

Kazuma immediately placed himself between the demons and the two girls. "GO NOW!" he shouted, charging the intruders.

Shizuru just grabbed a now terrified Lisa's hand and shot out the door.

Natalie and Hiei were jumping from tree to tree, alternating between attacking and blocking attacks. The little demon, being mindful of the previous day of training and her condition this morning, had started off fairly gently and was slowly upping the stakes to see how hard she would be able to train today. He would have her attempt making the Reiki Boa without the physical one after they had eaten lunch.

She seemed to be doing pretty good considering she could hardly move when she had first woken up. He had to give that kitsune credit. When it came to the healing properties of plants, Kurama could work magic.

Unexpectedly, after landing on a thick branch and readying herself for another attack, Natalie's head jerked up and she whirled, her eyes wide, toward the city.

"Onna?"

"Something's wrong." She jumped to the ground and took a few steps toward the city. Hiei quickly joined her, trying to determine what it was that was bothering her. When he glanced over at her, he saw that she had closed her eyes and there was a faint glow extending just a few inches over her skin. Then the light faded away and her eyes snapped open, this time filled with fear.

"Oh God! Lisa! Shizuru!"

She started to race for the city, but only got a few steps before Hiei had her in his arms and was making his way there himself, using his full speed.

"What's going on, Natalie?"

"Demons! They're after Lis' and Shizuru right now!"

Hiei frowned. _Why would demons be interested in either of them? Did Yomi find out about Kurama liking Lisa?_ He shook his head. They would ask questions later. If he didn't get himself and Natalie there in time, not only would the woman in his arms go nuts on him, but so would Kurama.

And speaking of the Fox...

_Kitsune! Your onna is in danger! Go to her now!_

Kurama had just returned home from running his errands and was preparing to leave to get Lisa for their afternoon outing, when Hiei's message came to him. His eyes went enormous and, barely taking the time to slip on his shoes, he shot out the door of his apartment.

As Lisa was running as quickly as she could, easily keeping pace with the equally tall Shizuru, one thought kept running in circles through her mind.

_They said they wanted me... WHY? Why do they want me? I could see them coming after Natalie, but I don't have any powers or anything!_

She risked a quick glance over her shoulder and saw the demons were hot on their tail and gaining fast. "What do we do?" she gasped out, her lungs burning with the excursion.

Shizuru was in a state similar to the blonde girl racing at her side. "The only thing we _can_ do! Keep running!"

Their run didn't last much longer, as only a few seconds after Shizuru spoke those words, one of the demons threw a blast that hit the ground directly behind them and sent them flying.

Lisa landed awkwardly and felt a few of her ribs crack with the impact. She cried out in pain, and started gasping in lungfuls of air. When the stars left her vision, she saw the group of demons approaching her position. Realizing she was trapped, full blown panic set in.

That is, until Natalie seemed to appear out of nowhere between her and the advancing demons. The demon closest to them was slashed to pieces right in front of them, and came apart with a sickening sound.

Lisa immediately turned a light shade of green, having seen the grisly sight. Even Natalie looked a little pale, though she seemed to shake it off after a few minutes, taking up a fighting position and staying close to her friend. The blonde girl then looked off to her right and saw Shizuru laying immobile on the ground.

"Oh no! Shizuru!"

Natalie glanced over at the unconscious woman and then looked back at her friend. "Just stay here close to Hiei! I'll check on her!"

Lisa almost protested, but Natalie had already left her side and was making her way to Shizuru. She shifted her position, winced when a shooting pain went through her ribs, and just settled back down. She watched Hiei as he faced off against another of the demons, and then glanced over back at Natalie as she knelt by Shizuru, trying to determine if she was okay.

Then the blonde girl caught a flicker of movement and her eyes went enormous when she saw the demon charging her friend.

"NATALIE! LOOK OUT!"

Her friend's head jerked up and she whirled, bringing her boa up just in time to block a hatchet, the head of which was half as big as she was. Had she not been sitting already, Lisa would have fallen over with relief.

That relief turned to a cold dread, however, when Natalie's boa snapped in half with the force of the axe and the two pieces clattered to the pavement. Natalie herself fell down to one knee with the force of that blow, and then looked up wide eyed as the demon advanced on her. He raised his axe once more.

"No! NATALIE!" Lisa was now paralysed, and found herself unable to tear her eyes away. Hiei was currently being attacked on all sides, and so was unable to make his way to her friend himself.

The short woman held her hand out defensively. "STOP IT!"

In that instant, a rod of energy formed in her hand, extending itself into the shape of a boa. Acting more on instinct than anything else, Natalie made a single swipe with her newly formed reiki boa, slicing the attacking demon right in half.

Immediately upon realizing what had happened, Natalie turned a ghostly white and dropped to her knees in shock, the boa vanishing again. Her eyes were fixated on the two halves of the now dead demon.

Lisa, upon seeing the sight herself, felt bile rising in her throat and quickly looked away, fighting off the nausea. She was soon distracted, however, when she felt someone grab her by the arm and yank her roughly to her feet. Her head whipped up and saw one of the demons had made it to her. She screamed and tried pulling away.

"Shut up! You're coming with us and..." Before he could finish his sentence, a thorny vine sliced through his arm, separating him from the woman, who immediately fell back hard on her butt and scrambled back until she was against the wall again. As the demon screamed in agony, he was put out of his misery when the same thorny vine slashed through him multiple times and he fell into pieces on the ground

That was it for Lisa. She turned her head to the side and promptly threw up. Seconds later, Kurama was at her side, his expression deeply concerned.

"Lisa! Are you all right?"

She glanced at the remains of the demon once more and then had to look away again, letting out a shiver. "I... I'm sorry, it's just that... I'm not used to... I've never seen..."

He gently cupped her cheek and turned her face so she was facing him. He had that gentle smile on his face now. "There is nothing for you to be sorry for. I understand that you are not used to the sort of gore you have just witnessed." Then he blinked and cleared his throat slightly. "Here. Let me get rid of this for you..." He reached forward then, and pried the fingers of the demon's hand from around her arm.

Once he had thrown the severed arm off to the side, Lisa threw herself into his arms, shaking like a leaf. His arms wrapped around her and he hushed her gently. Looking over Lisa's shoulder, he saw Hiei had made his way over to Natalie, having ensured that the remaining demons had been disposed of.

"Onna. Are you all right?" He crouched at her side.

Natalie seemed to come partially out of her daze. "I... think so... but... I've never... This is the first time I've...." She couldn't seem to bring herself to finish the sentence.

"Your first kill?" he asked softly.

She could only nod a little numbly.

Hiei had to get the woman out of this funk she suddenly found herself in. It wouldn't do her any good to have this hanging over her head while they were training or there was no way she would survive Demon World. He gripped her shoulders and made her look directly at him.

"Natalie. If you hadn't killed him, he would have killed you. Don't feel guilty for ending the life of a scum piece of shit like him. When we're in the Makai, chances are that you'll be placed in the same position again, and the last thing you can do when faced with enemies down there is hesitate. Do _not_ stray from your objective!"

Natalie closed her eyes for a few seconds, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly. When her eyes opened again, they were clearer than they had been before.

"You're right. I'll be okay."

Hiei allowed a small smirk to come to his face as he nodded. _That's the strong-willed onna that I know_, he thought.

Then a low groan sounded from behind them and they turned as one to see Shizuru stir and slowly sit up.

Natalie was at her side instantly. "Shit! Are you okay?"

She nodded, irritably rubbing a scrape on her forehead. "I think so. Just a bump on the head." Then her eyes widened slightly. "Kazuma!" She got to her feet and looked at them. "I've gotta make sure my baby bro's okay!"

Natalie grabbed her wrist, stopping her. "Not alone, you're not! There might still be some stragglers at your house."

Kurama looked up. "We'll head back there together." Then he took a look at the carnage surrounding them. "But we can't leave the area looking like this..."

"Hn. I'll handle it, Fox." Hiei lifted his hand and the remains of the demons erupted into black flames that quickly left hardly even a trace. "Now let's go see if the baka's okay."

Carefully helping Lisa to her feet, Kurama noticed her wincing with each movement. "Are you all right, Lisa?"

The girl sighed. "When I got thrown to the ground, I think I cracked a few ribs. I'll be okay."

He shook his head. "I'll bring you to my place and apply some ointment, if you would like."

Lisa looked at him and immediately turned a blazing red, an image of Kurama carrying out his offer slicing through her mind and almost giving her a system overload.

"Oh, that's okay! I'll be... I mean... I'm fine! Really!"

Kurama felt his lips quirk at her shyness. He didn't feel right just leaving her in pain, though. Perhaps he would bring her to Genkai's later on their outing and ask Yukina to take care of her injuries instead. At least then it would make her more comfortable.

_Too bad,_ Youko said. _I would have loved to have gotten a little hands on with her. Hiei's gotten farther with Natalie than we have with Lisa, and that little midget's got a ten foot rod stuck up his ass! It's almost insulting._

_ Not now, Youko,_ Suichi said back, mildly irritated. "Can you walk?" he asked Lisa now.

She took a few tentative steps on her own and, when she experienced no pain from the movements, she nodded much to his relief.

He smiled in relief. "Very well. Let's go check to see how Kuwabara is. Stay close to me, just in case."

She had no arguments with him on that one, and she quickly walked right at his side as the five of them made their way to Shizuru's home.

Allowing Kurama and Hiei to enter the door first, they soon found Kuwabara laying on the floor beside the now overturned table. Upon being given the all clear by Hiei, Shizuru raced to her brother's side, the kitsune joining her. Upon giving him a brief examination, both were relieved that he didn't appear to have any serious injuries. Once they had him laying down on the sofa in the living room, Kurama turned to Shizuru.

"Tell me exactly what happened."

She shrugged and proceeded to light up a cigarette. "Kazuma and I were in the kitchen with Lisa when we sensed them approaching the house at a fast speed. They busted in through the back door and specifically said they wanted Lisa. I grabbed her and we made a run for it while my baby brother tried to stop them."

Natalie and Kurama's eyes went wide. "They wanted to take Lisa?" they said as one, both equally shocked and concerned. Hiei, meanwhile, frowned deeply hearing this and turned inward, trying to puzzle out why they had been so intent on grabbing the fair-haired onna.

Lisa just looked down at the floor and fidgeted a little uneasily. That stopped when Kurama placed his hands on her shoulders and she blinked, finding herself looking directly into his face.

"Lisa. In spite of Kuwabara's own fighting capabilities, he is not able to handle attacks from high level demons. Until we find out who sent them to capture you and _why_ I feel it would be for the best if you moved into my place. Nobody can enter my home without my knowing and my plants are a natural security system. You would be safe there."

The girl turned bright red hearing this, but understood his reasons. Under the circumstances, she figured it would be downright retarded to disagree with him. She simply nodded silently.

Hiei stepped forward then. "When Natalie and myself go to demon world in five days, we will see if we can't dig up any information as to who would want to kidnap Lisa and why. In the meantime, keep a close eye on her, fox."

Kurama looked at him. "Of course. Did you think I would do otherwise?"

Kuwabara moaned and slowly sat up, rubbing his head irritably. Then his eyes cleared and he looked around himself wildly, breathing a massive sigh of relief when he saw his sister and Lisa were there, safe and sound.

"What a relief! I thought for sure when they knocked me out..." He trailed off and shook his head. Then he looked at Kurama and Hiei. "How did you guys know?"

Kurama shrugged. "I received a telepathic message from Hiei that Lisa was in danger. As to how he found out..."

"Hn. Natalie somehow detected that Lisa and Shizuru were in danger."

The young witch sighed. "Think of it as a mild telepathic link. I established it with Lisa years ago. When she's in a situation that causes her a great deal of stress, then I can just _feel_ it. Then, to determine exactly what it was that was causing her stress in the first place, I just used a technique called Remote Viewing. It's similar to Astral Projection, but you're far more limited in what you can do."

Lisa smiled at her friend, expressing her thanks, before turning to Kuwabara. "Those guys specifically said that they were after me, so I'm going to stay with Kurama until we can figure who they are and why they came for me. No offence, or anything but...." she trailed off.

Kazuma grinned and waved it off. "Nah, you don't have to explain nothin'. I know Kurama'd be better at keeping you safe than I am."

She smiled in relief now, and then cleared her throat. "Well... I guess I'll pack up some clothes and stuff..."

Kurama nodded. "I will help you. We can move your things to my apartment over the next few days."

Natalie nodded and then looked at her watch. Then she turned to Hiei. "It's going on noon. You want to grab lunch now and then head back?"

He shrugged. "Why not? We may as well since we're already in town."

She nodded and turned back to the others. "Well, I guess we'll see you guys later."

Kurama's attention turned to her now. "Yes. You focus on your training, Natalie. I will personally ensure that an incident like this does not happen again."

She nodded. Truth be known, she wanted to speak to him for a few minutes alone, to see if he figured it had been Yomi's doing, but she guessed he would have mentioned it by now if he did suspect such a thing.

So, she and Hiei left without a word, trusting that the kitsune would keep Lisa safe from harm.

After much prodding, and pointing out that it would be a lot easier than carrying two full course meals to the top of a building, Natalie convinced Hiei to go into a restaurant that had an extensive menu. Secretly, the girl was shocked that he had actually given in.

The restaurant, surprisingly enough, didn't have many people in it, much to the little demons apparent relief. They seated themselves in a corner booth, far from the ears of the other patrons, and were immediately handed a set of menus from one of the two waitresses that were on duty. Natalie got herself a coffee, while Hiei simply asked for some water.

When the medium rare steak Hiei ordered arrived, he studiously ignored the mashed potatoes and small pile of veggies that came with it, and simply inhaled the meat itself. Natalie, who ordered an Italian loaf, polished off both it and the helping of fries with gravy that came along with it. Then, they headed out once more to continue on with their training.

Once Kuwabara had shown himself to still be fully capable of assisting them, they accepted his offer to help Lisa move into Kurama's apartment.

She didn't have much yet. Just the clothes she had bought the week before and a few knick knacks and books she had found in town that had appealed to her. What annoyed Lisa a little bit was that Kuwabara, upon hearing about Lisa getting injured, refused to let her carry any of her own luggage, taking the bulk of it himself. The girl had a distinct feeling that he was more injured than she herself was, but decided to just leave it be.

Once they were in the apartment, the psychic human simply followed Kurama's instructions to leave the bags in the guest bedroom. Then he gave them a quick goodbye as he headed back home so he could help his sister clean the mess left after the battle.

The red head smiled a little sheepishly at her. "We have a closet in the guest room, but as you can see, no dresser. I didn't really see the need for one since Hiei is normally the only one who sleeps in here. Mother has an extra dresser in storage, and I'll ask her if I may use it later today. She will likely say yes and we can bring it here tomorrow."

She smiled at him. "That's okay. My bags will work fine until then."

He nodded, his smile back in place. "Very well." He cleared his throat meaningfully. "Let's take a trip to Genkai's today. In addition to having wonderful scenery and a few walking trails around her property, I'm sure Yukina would only be too happy to take care of your injuries."

Lisa blinked and then her smile widened. "Sure! That'd be great!"

"All right, then. We'll head out after we've had a bite to eat."

Once they made it back to their training ground, Hiei looked at Natalie pointedly. "I saw you manifest your boa earlier. Can you do it again?"

"I guess we're about to find out. My boa's broken now, so I sure hope so." She held out her hand and concentrated. After a few seconds passed, a rod of energy formed and extended out in both directions, forming the boa. Natalie gripped it and let out a long sigh of relief. "Now the question is, how _long_ I can keep it formed."

Hiei smirked. "I guess we'll find out. But, seeing as how your new weapon can easily slice through this bamboo..." He tossed the old bamboo stick aside and unsheathed his sword. "I have no choice but to up the stakes even further."

Natalie paled slightly, then she sighed. "Shit. Okay." She gave a few basic twirls of her new Reiki Boa. "Let's just do this before I stop and think too long about it." She took up a fighting stance.

Seconds later they were sparring yet again, Natalie being slightly more cautious given that the both of them were now using weapons that could cause serious harm to the other.

She didn't notice Hiei's eyes narrow slightly. All she knew one minute he was in front of her, and the next he had vanished from her sight. She whirled and scanned her surroundings, trying to locate him, landing on the ground to give him one last place to sneak up on her from.

Then she suddenly felt someone grab a handful of her hair and yank her head back. She cried out in pain, her concentration faltering and the boa vanishing from sight. She fell to her knees and felt the cold steel of Hiei's blade against her throat. She froze instantly.

"If you hesitate in Demon World, you'll be dead before you even realize it, onna. Let this be a reminder of that." He released her and let his sword hang at his side.

Natalie immediately felt a surge of anger rush through her. "What the fuck, Hiei?_ Pulling_ my_ hair?_ That's fighting dirty!"

He shrugged carelessly. "Long hair is easy to grip in a fight. Do you honestly think that all demons fight with honor, Natalie? Your vanity will only serve to get you killed."

She seethed. "_Vanity?_ You know perfectly well why my hair is..."

"Natalie," he cut in. "You're not in your world any more, and can no longer keep that promise."

Her expression turned inward as her mind was brought back to over a year before...

_ Natalie looked at her six year old niece and her shock of now very short and hot pink hair. "Holy crap, kiddo! When did your mom let you go punk rocker?"_

_ Luanne, her older sister walked into the room and laughed. "She had it done when she was visiting Winter and Ronnie. It's actually a fund raiser for cancer research that the school is taking part in. Dana decided she wanted to take part. She looked up at me and said 'Mommy, I want to help the sick kids and give them some of my hair'." She went into one of the drawers and pulled out a large zip lock bag that had her nieces formerly butt-long, blonde curly hair in it. Then she handed Natalie a pamphlet._

_ She scanned it for a moment. "The St. Valentines Day Hair Massacre?"_

_ Luanne nodded, now picking up a mess of crayons and torn coloring books left by her two younger children that had been abandoned on the kitchen table in favour of watching Blues Clues on the television. "Yup. They do it every year, apparently. And, if you're wondering, the reason her hair is pink is because it works as a sort of advertisement for the event. She's getting it shaved off in two weeks along with about five hundred or so other people in a mass head shave in West Edmonton Mall."_

_ Natalie could only shake her head in shock. She couldn't believe that at six years old, Dana was willing to get her thick locks shaved off to help the sick kids. She couldn't help it as her respect for her normally hell-raising niece went up enormously. She felt a tug on her sweatshirt and looked down to find Dana smiling up at her._

_ "Auntie, do you want to shave your head with me?"_

_ Natalie blinked at this question. Her hair was only a little past her shoulders right now, hardly a decent length for cutting your hair to donate it. If she was going to get her head shaved, she might as well donate most of it before hand. She knelt down to the little girl's level._

_ "Well, I think my hair is a little short yet, and I would really love to donate my hair for the sick kids, too. So I'll tell you what. Next year when they hold the event again, I'll do the whole shebang with you, okay kiddo? Can you imagine Auntie Nat running around with pink, punk rocker hair? I'll even spike it up with wax before the big event to REALLY get people talking."_

Natalie remembered a huge smile spreading across Dana's face before she flung herself into her auntie's arms, squealing and saying she couldn't wait. At the time, Natalie could hardly wait for the event to take place either, but now....

Her head snapped up and she saw Hiei still looking straight at her with his neutral expression.

He was right. There was no point to her keeping her hair this high maintenance anymore. And, aside from that, it _did_ often get in her way.

As Hiei watched, her expression turned from inward to determined. She concentrated and reformed the boa, using it to cleanly slice through her long hair, leaving its remains on the forest floor. It was more a hack job than anything else, but he got the impression that the onna didn't really give a shit, and neither did he.

She got to her feet and took up a fighting stance again. "Well, now that _that's _out of the way, let's keep going."

Feeling a pinprick of excitement race up his spine, Hiei nodded and they continued on with their training.

**Okay, I'm not making any promises as to when the next chapter is going to be up, but I'll try my best to make it soon. Please Review! ^_^**


	24. Chapter 24

**Okay, here's chapter 24!**

**I own nothing but my own characters.**

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Lisa walked side by side with Kurama as they made their way down the street, having just left the pastry shop. Even though the kitsune's features were pleasant enough, after the incident earlier, he was keeping his senses at their highest.

He had another reason for wanting to visit with Genkai as well. He wanted to see what opinions she may have about Lisa's attempted abduction. Also, just as Kurama's apartment was secured by his own plants, nothing entered or left the old woman's shrine without her knowing it, so even if he spoke to her in private, leaving the young woman with Yukina for a short while, he knew she would be safe.

He wasn't surprised when he saw Genkai waiting for them at the top of the stairs, her arms clasped behind her back as she smiled and greeted them warmly. Once they entered the temple (Lisa noticing immediately that Yukina was cleaning the kitchen, and quickly going to help her out), the kitsune and Reiki Master sat down to talk over a cup of tea.

The old woman's eyes narrowed significantly when she heard of the attempted kidnapping. She frowned deeply in thought.

"I don't know what to tell you, Kurama. While I _can_ detect some latent psychic ability coming from her, it's hardly an amount that would interest demons. I can't think of any reason why they would target her specifically."

Kurama was frowning as well now. "Neither can I, which is what concerns me." Then he gave a sigh. "Well, I suppose we'll just have to hope that Natalie and Hiei find some answers when they go to Demon World."

Her eyes widened now. "Natalie is...?"

He nodded and proceeded to explain _that_ particular situation to her as well.

"Just this morning she was able to manifest a boa comprised of spirit energy, so her training seems to be coming along nicely."

Genkai closed her eyes and smirked. "That girl is full of surprises, isn't she? I thought it would take her longer than that to produce her own spirit weapon."

Kurama shrugged. "I recall Lisa telling me that Natalie told her witches are well known for their knowledge of how to shape energy. She probably just needed a little guidance on how to form a weapon, rather than shaping her energy for the purpose of casting a spell."

The old woman's eyes opened and she nodded thoughtfully. "I suppose that makes sense. Now, getting back to the big issue." Her eyes looked squarely into his own. "Given your feelings regarding Lisa, do you think it could be Yomi who is responsible for this mornings attack?"

His eyes widened. "How did you know about...?"

She rolled her eyes. "Well, for one thing, I _am_ psychic. And for another, you don't live to be as old as I am without knowing what to look for in that department. You hide it well, Kurama, but the signs are there."

He gave a surprisingly awkward smile as he rubbed the back of his head. "I suppose there is no point in me denying it, then. I just ask that you not tell Lisa of what you know."

The old woman shrugged. "It's none of my business. Now, getting back to the possible perpetrators, I'll ask again: Do you think it's possible Yomi had anything to do with the attempted kidnapping?"

Kurama frowned in thought now. "Well, I didn't recognize any of them from when I was last working for Yomi, but that doesn't necessarily mean anything. It _has_ been a couple of years since I've been to Demon World, so I can't make any conclusions."

She sighed. "Then I suppose all we can do is wait until Natalie and Hiei return from their trip." Her eyes met with his. "Just keep a close eye on her, Kurama. Whether the attempt was made to gain your attention or for some other unknown reason, either way it can't be good."

He nodded immediately. "Of course. I have no intentions of letting her out of my sight until we find out exactly who was responsible and _why._"

A moment later, both Lisa and Yukina emerged from the kitchen, each holding a cup of tea.

Kurama smiled at them both and turned his attention to Lisa. "Did you get your injury healed?"

She nodded. "Yup. I'm as good as new."

He moved over, giving her space to sit down, while Genkai did the same for the koorime.

"So, once we've finished our tea, how would you like to go for a walk?"

She smiled at him and gave a nod. "Sure! That'd be great!"

**0000000000000000000000**

Natalie was currently moving as quickly as she could, desperately trying to avoid Hiei's sword while trying to get in some hits with her own weapon. She wasn't sure how long they'd been at it, but she guessed it had definitely been over an hour and she was quickly getting frustrated with her inability to land one frickin' hit.

Hiei had gotten in one hit with his sword already, on her lower right arm, and she was determined to not allow such a thing to happen again. It wasn't a deep wound, but it still stung like a bitch.

All was going well until her excessive reiki use decided to make her world spin, her stomach do a flop, and another stab of pain to explode inside her skull. Her concentration faltered, the boa vanished and she quickly put out a hand to keep herself from falling off of the thick tree branch she was standing on. She lowered herself down to her knees and leaned forward slightly, trying to abate the headache. The nausea, thankfully, was not as extreme as it had been the last time this happened.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. "It's not as bad as it was the last time. I think I just need to rest."

If she had looked up, she would have seen Hiei shrug. But then he did something she didn't expect.

He picked her up and settled down on the branch, holding her in his lap. She couldn't help it as she turned a little red at this action, but she didn't say anything. Then his headband came off and he used his jagan to tone down her headache.

Natalie sighed in relief, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt her eyes growing heavy and they started to close on her. They snapped open again when she felt Hiei gently lift her injured arm.

"Hn. We may as well take care of this now. It'll be one less thing to have to take care of later." He ran his tongue over the cut and the stinging sensation went away as the wound healed over. That done, her eyes started sliding shut once more. Was it her imagination or did Hiei tighten his hold on her?

"You can take a nap for a half hour or so, Natalie. Then we'll keep going."

She nodded and allowed herself to drift away.

**0000000000000000000**

Evening was setting in and Hiei and Natalie were deep into their training, Natalie fighting tooth and nail to not give in to her temptation to ask for a break. After she'd had her nap, she had felt worlds better and the demon had insisted they continue on training. And wouldn't you know it? The little bastard was deliberately using his speed against her. While it was mostly just physical strikes, he occasionally got her with his sword as well. She had a few minor, but painful as all hell, gashes on various regions of her body. She was just relieved that this time he seemed to be careful to not cause injury to her more intimate regions.

While Natalie's headache was slowly making a come back, her nausea was little more than noticeable. She was trying to keep a close watch on her stomach while at the same time, trying to keep Hiei from turning her into sushi.

Finally it came to the point where Hiei knocked her down to the ground, she managed to get herself up on her knees, but when she tried manifesting her boa again, the world did a 180 on her and she had to hold out her hands to keep herself from falling flat on her face. She was gulping in lungfuls of air and finally taking note of all the aches and stings that were assaulting her body.

Hiei knelt down in front of her. "Hn. I think that's enough for today, onna. I went fairly easy on you , but don't expect the same treatment tomorrow. The only reason I didn't push you to your absolute limit today is because you were still drained from yesterday."

She nodded, finally getting her breathing under control. She tried getting to her feet again, but she simply had no strength left. Hiei caught her before she could fall to the ground again, and she found herself leaning into his chest, his arms wrapped securely around her. It seemed to her that they stayed in that position a few seconds longer than necessary before he scooped her up into his arms.

"How are you feeling?"

She rested her head against his shoulder. "I have both a headache and feel nauseous but it's nothing too bad."

He nodded. "Fine. Let's stop by Kurama's place and I'll get the salve. Since Lisa is staying there, we'll have to do the healing at the Detective's."

She just nodded, leaving her head against his shoulder and basking in his heat. An instant later, he was off.

When they arrived at Kurama's apartment, Hiei set Natalie down in a chair in the guest room while he entered the kitchen in search of the kitsune. Upon opening the door, he was smacked in the face by the mouth watering aroma of chocolate muffins. Both the fox and Lisa looked up when he entered, the former getting to his feet immediately.

"Salve and pain killer again?"

Hiei nodded. "Hn. She's resting on the chair in the guest room. As soon as I have the salve, I'll bring her back to Yusuke's."

Lisa smiled a little sheepishly. "Well, at least she's still conscious this time..." Then she cleared her throat and held the plate of freshly baked muffins out to Hiei. "You want some? They're fresh out of the oven, and..."

Before she could finish the sentence, two of the muffins vanished into thin air.

She blinked and then held back a giggle. "Oh, jeez... the fanfiction writers were right about you having a sweet tooth. Go figure."

The koorime almost scowled at her, but held back being mindful of Kurama's presence. He just rolled his eyes and turned his attention to the kitsune avatar. "I'll be waiting in the guest room."

He simply nodded and proceeded to the counter where he started making the needed medicine.

Lisa was tempted to step into the guest room to check on Natalie herself but, in spite of the fact that he wouldn't hurt her, Hiei made the blonde girl nervous. She simply wasn't used to the kind of... intensity he usually gave off.

She blinked when he stepped out of the room again, this time with a small scowl on his face. He looked directly at Lisa. "Onna. Natalie can smell those things and she wants one."

She shrugged and handed him the plate. She blinked again as he turned. Did she see two more muffins disappear?

A few minutes after Natalie finished a couple of the muffins, Kurama entered the room with a paper bag. He rose an eyebrow, seeing the state Natalie's hair was in, but he chose not to comment. "The salve and pain killer are in here. Lisa and I are going to the theatre tomorrow night, so I'll leave a batch for tomorrow night on the balcony before the two of us leave."

Hiei nodded, handing the bag to Natalie for her to hold. He then handed back the plate back to the kitsune. Kurama smirked when he noticed that out of the dozen muffins Lisa had baked, only three were left. He had a feeling that as long as the woman was staying with him and continued to bake, the koorime would be over frequently to raid the fridge.

Natalie gave offered Kurama a tired wave and a half smile as Hiei picked her up once again, and then vanished out the window.

When they got back to the Urameshi residence, they saw Yusuke sitting on the edge of Natalie's bed. He gave them both a smile and a wave.

"Hey there! I sensed you coming so I just figured I'd come in here to wait. Nice to see you're actually _conscious_ this time, Nat!" Then he blinked. "What happened to your hair?"

She half rolled her eyes. "It was getting in my way, so I chopped it off. Is there something you need to tell me?" Hiei sat her down on the bed beside the detective and then leaned against the wall, crossing his arms.

He nodded. "A couple things actually. First, I'll get the minor thing outta the way... Mom brought another guy home with her tonight... just so you don't freak out if you run into him in the middle of the night. And the other thing..." His expression turned dead serious. "I talked to Kuwabara and he told me about Lisa and her attempted kidnapping."

She nodded. She figured Yusuke would hear about it. "Yeah, but now that she's staying with Kurama, I feel a little more secure about her safety."

His expression was still serious. "Listen, I have a lot of influence in the Makai... If you want, I could send a couple of my friends down there out to find out who might want her and _why. _It's not normal for demons to be interested in capturing some random girl who has no abilities."

Natalie considered this, but Hiei moved from his position against the wall. "Hn. Natalie and I intend to investigate this matter ourselves when we make our trip to Demon World. I recommend you stay here and help monitor the area to prevent another incident like it from occurring."

He hesitated and then nodded with a sigh. "I guess it does make more sense to do it that way. The more people there are keeping an eye out, the better. Sucks that I missed out on a good fight, though..."

Natalie cleared her throat slightly. "Um... Yusuke, not to be rude or anything but... I'd like to get my injuries treated and then pass out. I've been up since four thirty this morning."

He winced. "Ouch. Hiei, you _are_ worse than grandma!" He stood up and gave her a wide grin. "Okay, Nat. I'll see you around!" He left the room, closing the door behind him.

The woman let out a yawn. "Wow, he left without making a wisecrack. I'm shocked."

Hiei looked at her pointedly. "I assume you're mobile enough to remove your own clothes this time?"

She tested her limbs and nodded. Then, guessing there wasn't really a point to asking for privacy since Hiei had seen all but one region of her body already, she started to undress. She just took off her shirt and bra first when Hiei approached.

"Hn. Let's take care of your upper body first. Just stay sitting up." He opened the container of salve and got started.

This time the injuries to her face were minimal. All there was was a scratch going down her left cheek, and a bruise on her jaw. Her throat was injury free, but he had left a shallow cut on her upper chest, above her breasts. Stubbornly focusing on his task, he kept his eyes squarely on the injury itself, resisting the urge to let his eyes wander as he worked in the salve. He noticed Natalie's face was very red and she was avoiding looking at him. Her nervousness wasn't even remotely as intense as it had been the night before, however. He guessed the fact that she could actually _move_ had something to do with it.

When he moved down to below her breasts, he smelled her arousal for the first time that night. He considered seeing how long he could continue on healing her, but then decided it would just cause them both unnecessary stress. He reached into his pocket and pulled out the leaf the fox had given him the night before and breathed it in, trying not to scowl at the smell as he did so. He saw the woman's nose wrinkle as the smell of it reached her as well, and he had to hold back from smirking as he put the leaf back in his pocket once more.

He finished her front and sides, and then moved to sit behind her on the bed, placing on leg on either side of her. He dipped his fingers into the mixture again and proceeded to treat numerous bruises, scrapes, and a long gash that went down her back at an angle. Once he finished working it in, he spent a few minutes just kneading her back muscles so she wouldn't have such horrible back pain again in the morning. The woman sighed in relief and almost seemed as if she was resisting the urge to lean against him. He played with the thought of pulling her right up against his chest, but shoved it out of his mind. When she was clothed, fine, he'd have a little fun, but not while she was like _this._ He focused single mindedly on getting the knots out of her back, before finally letting his arms drop to his sides.

"Now you're lower half and we're done for tonight," he said softly, his mouth close to her ear.

She let out a small shiver and nodded, taking in a deep breath as she undid her pants. Instead of having her sit up, this time Hiei gently took a hold of her and laid her down on the bed. She immediately turned a blazing red at this action. Hiei let his eyes flicker across her body for the span of a couple heartbeats before he forced himself to get back to the task at hand.

"How are you doing, onna?"

"At least I can move this time. I'm thankful for the little things..."

Hiei chuckled as he dipped his fingers into the salve again and started on her upper thighs, and started working his way down. The woman was biting at her lower lip and struggling with everything she had to not squirm. She let out a few moans involuntarily, immediately blushing to the roots of her hair immediately after the fact and placing a hand over her mouth to try and muffle the other noises she was letting loose. When he finally finished her legs, he smirked at her.

"Just one more region to do. You've been landing on it all day, so I don't think I need to tell you what it is."

She sighed, raising an eyebrow. "My ass?"

The smirk he gave her was nothing short of evil as he nodded. Letting out another, longer sigh, Natalie wordlessly rolled over onto her stomach. Seconds later, she felt Hiei carefully exposing her rear end, and then start applying the ointment. She had been unconscious through this part of the healing last night, and while it _did_ make her slightly uncomfortable, it really wasn't as bad as she'd thought it would be. Had he been doing the same to her breasts or her _most intimate_ region, however... She shoved the thought from her mind.

A couple minutes later, Hiei returned the panties to their proper place and sat up. "We're done."

She sighed in relief and sat up. Not bothering to redress in the clothes she had worn that day, she slowly made her way to her dresser, being conscious of how her legs felt. She pulled out a blue satin nightgown that went down to her knees and carefully put it on, wincing with the movements, and then returned to her bed. She laid down beneath the covers, Hiei coming up to the head of the bed. Without saying a word, he removed his headband, placed his fingers at her temple, and used his Jagan Eye to lull her into sleep.

He let his fingers slide down the side of her face and remained where he was for a few long seconds. Then he stepped to the open window, settled himself in the branches of the tree, and closed his eyes.

**000000000000000**

Natalie was sleeping soundly, her mind lost in the realm of dreams. Little did she know that her peaceful slumber was about to be rudely interrupted.

She came instantly and fully awake when she felt a pair of hands snaking across her body, accompanied by the words: "Hey, baby, ready for round two?"

A series of images flashed through her mind and her instincts set in immediately. Before she even realized it, she had sat up and her fist lashed out, clocking the perpetrator square in the jaw and sending him through the door, shattering it on impact.

"What the fuck was that?" Yusuke came charging out of his room and saw the man lying moaning on the floor. In the same instant, Hiei was in her room, his hand on the hilt of his sword. Then they heard Atsuko calling from down the hall.

"I'm down here, sweetie!"

Yusuke buried his face in his hands and then scowled at the man who had been sent flying. "You moron! Mom's room is two doors down! You're lucky she didn't kill you!"

Hiei scowled as his hand left his sword. "He's lucky _I _didn't kill him!"

The Spirit Detective pulled the still moaning (and still half drunk) man to his feet and gave him a light shove down the hall.

Natalie was still shaking slightly, but her face was contorted with rage. "THAT'S IT!" She looked at Yusuke, trying to look apologetic. "Look, I really appreciate you opening your door to me and everything, but I don't think I can handle living with your mom if those are the kind of idiots she brings home with her."

He sighed and rubbed the back of his head. "I understand, and I can't say that I blame you. So, where are you going to stay? Kuwabara's place has a vacant room now..."

She shrugged. "I'm not sure. I guess I'll ask him later, or..."

Hiei shook his head. "You may as well wait until we're back from Demon World, onna. Until then, we can just stay in the area where I'm training you."

Natalie turned a little red, realizing this meant she would most likely sleep the next five nights cuddled up to Hiei in a tree. Yusuke, almost as though he was reading her mind, got that insufferable grin on his face as he looked at the two of them.

"Hmm... let's see here... Hiei just pretty much invited you to stay with him 24/7, which more than likely means you'll be sleeping with him up in a tree somewhere... And I notice that you're not objecting at all, Nat', so... is it possible that you're into the idea?"

Natalie's eyebrow twitched and Hiei's hand went to his sword again.

"Yusuke..."

"Detective..."

He held his hands up in a gesture of peace. "Hey, I'm just saying... But anyway, I'm headed back to bed. You two can go off and cuddle somewhere tonight. See ya!" He raced out of the room before woman or demon could say anything to him.

Natalie felt her eyebrow twitching again. "Sometimes I really wish I could hurt that guy..."

"Hn. Just get dressed and pack a few clothes, onna. I'll take you to our training ground and you can go back to sleep."

Nodding, the girl shoved Yusuke and his insufferable teasing out of her mind, and set to work.

**000000000000000**

Lisa was sitting at Kurama's kitchen table, having found it impossible to sleep. She couldn't help it. Every time she laid down, her thoughts drifted to the attempted kidnapping. She just couldn't wrap her mind around _why_ demons would want her, and that scared the hell out of her.

She almost jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand drop onto her shoulder. She looked up and saw Kurama holding his hands up now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to startle you." He pulled out a chair and seated himself. "What are you still doing up?"

She sighed and tried to stifle a yawn unsuccessfully. "I couldn't sleep."

Kurama looked at her for a long moment. "Your experience today is still weighing heavily on you, isn't it?"

She hesitated, and then nodded with a sigh. "I'm trying not to think about it, but it's hard. Especially since nobody knows who they were and why they wanted to grab me."

He nodded. "It's understandable why you are frightened, Lisa." He reached out and gently took hold of her right hand. Her head jerked up and she looked at him with wide eyes, a wild blush spreading across her face. He had to fight tooth and nail to keep from smirking. His expression was still serious as he looked her straight in the eye. "Know this: We _will_ find out who is responsible for trying to kidnap you, and we _will_ put a stop to them. As long as I am here, I will do absolutely everything in my power to keep you safe from harm." He squeezed her hand slightly and then gave her his winning smile. She went a few shades darker. "I'll make you some tea that will get you to sleep. I don't want you making yourself sick, after all." He released her hand and made his way over to the counter where he proceeded to grow numerous plants and turned on the kettle of water.

A few minutes later, she was sipping on the soothing tea, recognizing it as being the same kind he had made for her in Spirit World.

Kurama could almost see Youko grinning in his mind's eye. _Ask her if we can share her bed tonight!_

The red haired boy almost rolled his eyes. _Youko... I highly doubt she is ready to take that step yet. You saw her face when I did nothing more than hold her hand!_

_ Well, she let you hold her that night in Spirit World when she was upset... so what's the difference? At least make the offer! I mean, come ON! I can smell her fear, and there's nothing more comforting to a woman than having a man hold her!_

Kurama considered and then decided that, strangely enough, Youko had a point. Lisa _was_ scared, for all that she was trying to keep it hidden.

What the hell? It couldn't hurt to ask. He could always apologize if she took the offer too personally.

"Lisa, I can smell your fear and apprehension right now. It's much like the night you learned you were trapped in our world. And, just as I did on that night, I would like to have the opportunity to offer you comfort. Would you object to me holding you tonight?"

Her eyes went huge and she was now a cherry red. She fiddled with her teacup for a moment, suddenly finding the table top to be incredibly interesting.

"Well, um... Only if you don't mind... That is, I slept really well the night that you held me and I never would have been able to fall asleep on my own..." Realizing she was starting to babble, she clamped her mouth shut, still bright red.

Kurama chuckled and gave her a warm smile. "Very well. Once you're finished your tea, we'll go to bed, Lisa."

She looked at him and gave a shy nod. She finished off her tea surprisingly quickly, and then the two of them entered Kurama's room. The fox immediately took her into his arms, settled down on the bed, holding her securely in his lap. He pulled her against his chest, and the two of them fell asleep.

**000000000000000000**

**Please Review! I'll have the next chapter up as soon as I can, but I can't make any promises!**


	25. Chapter 25

**For those of you who missed the memo on my profile...**

**I'M BAAAAAAAACK! XD XD XD**

**I will be updating my stories now whenever I am able, seeing as I now have a nice decent computer and my issues have, for the most part, been taken care of.**

**Now then, onto business...**

**I do not own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters within that series, except for my own creations, Natalie and Lisa.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The next few days passed in a blur of trainings, healings, and occasional flirtations instigated by Hiei. The hybrid had only gone easy on her the second day before returning to pushing the woman to the point of complete and utter exhaustion. Natalie went to Yusuke's place only to shower and get clean clothes, spending the next four nights sleeping in various trees curled up in the koorime's lap. She no longer appeared to suffer from the symptoms of excessive energy use, and Hiei seemed satisfied with her progress.

Lisa, for her part, only seemed to leave Kurama's sight when she had to take care of her personal business in the washroom. When she slept at night, he spent the night either sleeping in a chair beside her bed, or holding her in his lap.

On the sixth day, Natalie was surprised when she awoke without Hiei rousing her. Looking around, she was further surprised to see that the sun was over the horizon. She blinked and looked up curiously, finding Hiei looking down at her.

"Hn. We want you feeling as physically able as you can be when we enter the Demon World. We won't be doing any training today. We'll head to the Makai tomorrow before dawn. We should make it to Mukuro's by early afternoon if all goes well."

She nodded, fighting back the nervousness she felt knowing that tomorrow was the big day.

Hiei got to his feet, still holding the woman in his arms. "We'll head to Genkai's. I contacted Kurama, and he'll be there soon enough with Yusuke and the baka."

The woman yawned and stretched as well as she could while being held in his arms, and nodded again. "Okay, let's head out then."

He gave her a single nod, and an instant later, the branch they had been on was vacant.

They were at Genkai's in only a couple of minutes, the old woman waiting for their arrival in front of her temple. She stepped toward them when Hiei set Natalie down.

"Is she ready, then?" she asked the hybrid.

He shrugged. "As ready as she can be after six days of training."

She nodded, and motioned for them to come inside. Yukina was bringing tea into the living room and setting it on the coffee table.

Genkai looked at Natalie with a critical eye. "Your energy feels a little off balance..."

She nodded. "It's because I've been focusing only on martial arts and chi control this week. I haven't done anything with my magickal skills." Then she shrugged. "An hour or two of meditation should take care of it."

The old woman nodded back and then the subject changed to small talk for the most part.

About an hour after they had arrived, Kurama, Lisa, Yusuke, Kuwabara, Shizuru, and Keiko walked in.

Natalie immediately went up to Kuwabara's sister and gave her a sheepish grin. "Hey, I don't suppose you could fix this hair of mine, could you? I think I should be at least _somewhat_ presentable when I meet Mukuro."

She gave her a nod as she lit up a cigarette. "Sure thing." She turned to Kazuma. "Hey, bro. Go back home and get me my supplies, would you?"

He stared at her in disbelief. "Sis, you can't be serious! We just climbed up the stairway of death and now you want me to..."

"Bro," she said, cutting him off. She took a puff off her cigarette and sent him a glare. "One thing you should know about me by now, is that I'm _always_ serious. Now get going before I kick your ass."

He balked, sputtered for a moment, and then let out a sigh. "Okay, I'll be back." He walked back out the temple, muttering about his bossy sister under his breath as he did so.

Natalie and Lisa couldn't help but exchange amused smiles seeing this.

Before anyone could say or do anything else, however, Natalie suddenly found Shizuru and Keiko standing on either side of her. The smiles on their faces immediately put the young witch on edge.

"Um... what's up?"

Shizuru calmly put out her cigarette. "Nat'... Keiko and I have just two words for you..." Each girl grabbed one arm and they shot off down the hall to one of the vacant rooms.

"GIRL TALK!" their voices rang out as one.

Hiei's eyes looked down the hall where the girls had just vanished. "Why did those two just run off with Natalie?" he asked, not entirely sure whether he wanted to know or not.

Genkai smirked. "It's not obvious? They must have heard of some of the things that have been happening between the two of you, and naturally, they want details."

The hybrid's eyes narrowed now. "And just how is it any of their business?"

Kurama chuckled. "Hiei, something you had best learn quickly is that women are naturally curious creatures."

Yusuke nodded in agreement. "Yup. Girls have a way of _making_ things their business."

Lisa looked off down the hallway where the three girls had dragged her friend a moment ago. She shook her head. "I don't... want to know."

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Natalie found herself in a room that had nothing in it but three conveniently placed chairs. The chairs were just a little _too_ convenient and she had to wonder whether it was Genkai or Yukina who had placed them there. Given the Ice Maiden's naturally sweet attitude, she had a sneaking suspicion that Genkai had been the instigator in this one.

And while the girl had a sinking sensation she knew exactly what this was about, she decided to try playing dumb.

Keiko grinned at her. "So?"

Natalie blinked. "So... what?"

Shizuru shook her head. "Oh, no you don't. Listen, Nat'. You think my baby bro and Yusuke kept the two of us in the dark? We _know_ that something's going on between you and Hiei and now we want details!"

The younger woman nodded in agreement. "Yusuke told me about you and Hiei snuggling in Spirit World, and he told me some of the things that you told him, and now I want to hear it from _you!"_

"So spill it! And don't hold back any info from us either. We're dying of curiosity."

The woman pinched the bridge of her nose now and let out an aggravated sigh. "I'm going to kill Yusuke and Kuwabara..."

Shizuru grinned as she lit up another cigarette. "Knock yourself out later. So, are you going to tell us or not?"

Natalie sat heavily in one of the three chairs and motioned to the other two vacant ones. Clearly the two of them weren't going to take no for an answer. Predictably, the two girls eagerly seated themselves and leaned forward in interest.

"Now... where should I start?"

Keiko was almost bouncing with excitement. Strangely enough, from watching the series, Natalie hadn't pegged her as a gossip lover. Actually, she hadn't pegged _either_ of these two girls as gossip lovers! "Start with when you got here! Right from the beginning! Leave out _nothing_!"

_Shit, we're gonna be here for a while,_ Natalie thought. She gave one last, heavy sigh, and indulged the girls.

See, this was one of the reasons she and Lisa were best friends. While they chatted with each other about issues the other was having, they weren't all that interested in gossiping with others. And, unless it had some sort of important issue behind it, Lisa really didn't give a hoot about her friend's love life.

But anyway, Natalie told them everything, from beginning to end, leaving out none of the gory details. By the time the telling was over, Keiko was staring at her wide eyed, and Shizuru was lighting up cigarette number four.

The recent graduate spoke first, breaking the silence. "That's... kind of strange, isn't it? I mean... you and Hiei have done so much together, and yet you haven't even _kissed_ at the same time... It's almost like you're going backwards or something..."

Shizuru smirked. "Well, Hiei licked her lips for her, but I guess that doesn't really count as a kiss, does it?" She blew out a plume of smoke, ignoring the dirty look Natalie gave her. "It seems like Hiei's a little conflicted, but he definitely wants you on a physical level, at least. I've gotta wonder what's going through his head."

Natalie snorted. "If I had any clue about _that_ I'd let you in on it. You're the psychic here, not me. He's not exactly the sort of person who talks about feelings, so I'm not getting a clear message from him."

She shrugged then. "I might be psychic, but Hiei can block me easily. Aside from that, I think one of his problems is how out of place he feels in the Human World. He doesn't understand humans all that well, to be honest with you, and whatever he's feeling is probably confusing the hell out of him." She flicked her cigarette's ashes out the open window. "I have a feeling things are going to heat up a little more when you get to the Demon World, and he's a little more in his own element."

Natalie couldn't stop it as she felt her face heat up. She wasn't sure if hearing Shizuru say that was a good thing or a bad thing, considering her instincts were usually accurate.

Keiko grinned. "Well, whatever happens, it's sure to be interesting." Then she got to her feet, giddy with excitement once more. "Well, we got the dirt from Natalie, now let's see what _Lisa_ has to say about what's going on between her and Kurama!"

Before either one of them could blink, Natalie was blocking the door, her expression desperate.

_"NO!_ You can't do that!"

The two of them blinked, looking at her. "Why not?"

Natalie looked at Shizuru as if she was nuts. "You mean to tell me you've lived with Lisa for a few days and you don't realize how shy she is? Listen, both of you! That girl has _never _been in a romantic relationship before in her life! She has hardly any clue when it comes to guys giving her hints that they like her, and thinks the only reason Kurama has her at his place right now is so he can protect her from those guys who tried to grab her! She doesn't know how he feels about her yet, and we need to keep it that way if we want any chance of her getting together with him in the future. If she finds out that he likes her _now_ then she's going to shy away from him and it's going to ruin _everything_ Kurama and I are working towards!" She frowned at them. "If you guys screw up what we're trying to do, not only will _I_ not be impressed, but neither will _Kurama_. And I think you both know what _he_ can be like when he's angry!"

The both of them thought back to when they saw Youko in the Dark Tournament and shivered slightly.

The eldest girl tossed her cigarette out the window. "I guess I can hold back then..."

Keiko nodded. "I don't want to mess things up before they even get the ball rolling. Just let us know if you hear about anything being official, okay?"

Natalie resisted the urge to roll her eyes. She just sighed and gave them a nod. "Okay, but don't expect anything for a while."

The two of them nodded, and Shizuru looked at her watch. "Well, bro's probably been back for a while now with the stuff, so let's get your hair fixed." She smirked at Natalie. "We want you looking good for Hiei on your trip, don't we?"

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

About a half hour later, Natalie was experimentally playing with her now nicely cut short hair. It felt a lot better, and Shizuru had shortened her bangs a little without taking away the effect they had before. She considered her reflection for a moment and decided she liked it. It was practical yet stylish, and would be a breeze to prepare in the mornings.

With that minor issue out of the way, the young witch ventured into the back yard of Genkai's temple to find a suitable place to meditate... Someplace that was close by, but where it was quiet enough that nobody would disturb her. She settled down at the base of a large tree, and smiled a few short seconds later when she felt Hiei's presence in the branches above her head.

_You're attached at the hip,_ her father would say. For a brief moment she could almost imagine the teasing glint in his eyes if he would know of this situation. She quickly shook the image and the sudden pang of homesickness off.

The day before a trip into the Makai was _not_ the time to get sentimental. She would worry about dealing with her grieving process when she got back. Right now, she had to make sure her energy was in balance.

She took in a deep breath and forced all the annoying little thoughts out of her mind and concentrated all of her focus on the task at hand.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Hiei watched and sensed Natalie's minor struggle from where he sat in the branches of the tree. He had followed the woman, determined not to let her out of his sight unless she was taking care of her personal business or bathing. Even when she did those things he made sure he was close by in case anything should be amiss. After Lisa's attempted abduction, the Hybrid wasn't taking any chances.

Whoever those demons were that tried to grab her friend, did so when the woman was in a vulnerable time... when her only protection was the baka and his sister. Even though Natalie was a fighter in her own right, Hiei had no intentions of leaving her open to attack. She fared well against that one demon when protecting Shizuru and Lisa, but the next ones might be too powerful for her to take on.

He wondered for what seemed the millionth time what it was about the woman that made him so protective of her, and then brushed it off. He had thought on the matter many times already, and was no closer to finding the answer. He kept remembering something the fox had told him a week before...

_"You have deep feelings for her, Hiei. I might even go so far as to say that you are in love with Natalie."_

The hybrid looked down at the woman and saw a light aura now surrounding her, extending about a foot away from her body as she continued on with her meditation. And for the first time, he started wondering if maybe... just _maybe_... Kurama was right.

After considering this thought for a few brief moments, he shook his head. Physically attracted, fine. He could admit to that. His inner beast had made it clear to him on several occasions that it wanted Natalie on the physical level, so there was no point in denying it.

But what about his other actions? That first night in Spirit World where he held her in his lap... hell _all_ the nights he had held her in his lap. Chasing away discomfort while she slept using his jagan... Hiei had to acknowledge that those actions were far from normal for him, so maybe there _was_ something more than mere physical attraction? If it was only physical, then why hadn't he just fucked her already and gotten it done with?

_Because she's not ready yet,_ a voice seemed to whisper in the back of his mind.

He scowled and shook his head, feeling oncoming confusion. Thinking about these things was not going to help him right now. He could focus on them later, _after _he and Natalie had met with Mukuro and investigated the attempted kidnapping of Lisa. He didn't need any distractions right now, and neither did Natalie.

Forcefully shoving all thoughts on the matter out of his mind, Hiei continued to lounge in the tree, keeping himself aware of his surroundings, privately basking in the feel of the aura below him.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

Once Natalie had achieved her goal and balanced her energies, she headed on inside to join the others. Somehow she wasn't really surprised when she saw Hiei walking beside her before she had even made it a quarter of the way there.

Once everyone gathered around, Hiei crossed his arms. "I'm going to open the portal to Demon World on Genkai's grounds tomorrow morning right before dawn. Traveling the Makai in the daylight is the safest option, since most of the annoying small fry are nocturnal. The less encounters with demons we have, the better. With any luck, we'll make it to Mukuro's by early afternoon. Once we're there, we can figure out what the hell is going on."

Kurama looked at him. "Are you opting for a route that provides coverage for you, or a wide open view? The first option would lessen the chances of you being spotted, but also carry the chance of an ambush, while the second would allow your enemies to see you at the same time as you see them, and thus have no surprises."

Hiei looked at him. "I'm going for the option of coverage. Natalie fights better in close quarters, and between her senses and my own, it would be difficult for anyone to catch us by surprise."

The kitsune nodded and then went to a shoulder bag he had brought with him and dug out a bundle of clothing. He handed it to Natalie. "Before you leave tomorrow, slip into this. It is made of a Makai material that is far more durable and would offer more protection than standard human clothing."

She nodded and accepted the clothing. She was actually surprised at how light they were. "Thanks."

Genkai stepped forward then. "All right. All of you are free to stay here the night so we can see them off in the morning. It's getting late now, and we should all get some rest."

Natalie nodded along with the rest of them, though she was now desperately trying to fight off the butterfly feeling she was getting in her stomach. Of all the things she wanted to do in this world, going to Demon World wasn't exactly at the top of her list.

And for some reason, she had a feeling that her interactions with Hiei weren't the _only_ reason Mukuro wanted to meet with her.

Just as Hiei and herself were about to head outside, Natalie felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to see Kurama looking at her. "Natalie, could I speak with you for just a moment please?"

She blinked. Looking past him, she saw that Lisa was with Yusuke and Keiko. She nodded and looked at Hiei. "I'll be there in just a few minutes."

"Hn." He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall by the door.

Natalie followed the Fox demon into an empty room and he closed the door behind them. Reaching into one of his pockets, he pulled out a small vial of liquid.

"I think it would be a good idea for you to drink this," he said.

She raised an eyebrow slowly and accepted the vial, taking a minute to examine the blue-green mixture inside. "What is it for?"

"It is a mixture designed to prevent you from conceiving a child."

Natalie's eyes went _huge_ and she immediately turned a dark red. "It _what?"_

Kurama smirked, seeing this reaction. "Natalie, you have been spending a great deal of time alone with Hiei. More time than I have ever seen him spend with _anyone_. And tomorrow morning, the two of you are leaving for his home in the Makai. He resides in Mukuro's palace now, and he is more likely to be more open on his home turf than he is here in Ningenkai. Now, as responsible and open minded as you may be, I somehow doubt that you would be ready for motherhood to be thrust upon you. I'm not saying that anything _will_ happen, but this is merely a precaution."

She sighed heavily, still blushing to the roots of her hair. "Terrific. First Shizuru tells me she has a _feeling_ things might heat up between me and Hiei while we're there, and then you give me this."

Kurama chuckled. "Well, if _Shizuru_ said it, then I think it would be wise to drink the mixture, don't you?"

She sighed again as she removed the lid. _Better safe than sorry,_ she thought. She slammed it back as if it was a shot of vodka and still let out a violent shudder at the after taste. Kurama wordlessly handed her another small container of liquid.

"I anticipated that reaction," he said with a smirk. "This should take away the after taste, unless you wish for it to linger for half the night."

She popped the lid and slammed it back as well, relieved at the sweet, almost honey-like flavour that replaced the vile concoction she'd just had beforehand.

Handing the empty containers back to Kurama, she fixed him with a look. "Not a word about this to anyone."

He smiled innocently and held his hands up in a gesture of peace. "Of course. You have my word."

Trusting that the kitsune wouldn't go blabbing about it to Yusuke, she nodded and exited the room. Hiei was still in place by the door leading outside.

The two of them exited the building together. "Hn. What did Kurama want?"

She fought desperately to keep from turning bright red again. "He just brought up a point or two for me to keep in mind, is all. Nothing to worry about."

Hiei smirked now, knowing she was lying. "And he had to bring you somewhere private for something like that?"

She stiffened slightly. He was doing it again... He was pushing her buttons as only he could, and the little bastard _knew_ she was hiding something significantly bigger than she had said, and was now calling her on it.

She sighed and turned to him. "Hiei, _please_ don't do this tonight. Really, it wasn't anything that I feel comfortable getting into with you so just..." She sighed again and gave him a somewhat pleading look, silently asking him to drop the subject.

Hiei looked back at her silently for a long moment, his expression impossible to read. Then he shrugged. "Hn. Let's just get some sleep, onna. You're going to need it for the day ahead of you."

Feeling a flood of relief, she nodded. Hiei wordlessly scooped her into his arms and they were on the branch of a large tree a split second later. Once Natalie was comfortably settled in his lap, she laid her head in the crook of his neck. With one use of the Jagan Eye, she was dead asleep.

**0o0o0o0o0o0**

**Okay, there was chapter 25! Tell me what you think, please! ^_^  
**

**Oh, and to tell my fans something big... I have a scanner now. I also have an account on deviant art, and two fan drawings for this story posted up on there. To view my dA profile, just go to my profile HERE and copy and paste it. It's close to the top of my profile, so it shouldn't be hard for you to find. **** Please tell me what you think of my artwork while you're there! I love, love, love LOVE reviews!**

**Until next time!**


	26. Chapter 26

**Here is the long awaited Chapter 26 to Slight Problem. I know it's been a while, but I still don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or any of the characters within that show. The only thing I own are my own Characters, Natalie and Lisa.**

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The next morning, after Natalie had eaten and changed into the clothes provided by Kurama, both herself and Hiei were out on Genkai's grounds. The others were standing just a short distance behind them, Lisa looking decidedly worried.

And she wasn't the only one who was worried.

Hiei cast a glance at the woman at his side. "How are you doing, onna?"

The girl frowned slightly, knowing that the hybrid would soon be opening the portal leading to the Makai. "Does the term 'shitting bricks' mean anything to you?"

He smirked. "Just remember your training and you should do all right. Stick to the lower level demons and leave the strong ones to me."

The girl took in a deep breath and nodded. Then she turned to the others. "Well, I guess this is it."

Kurama nodded. "We will see you again in a day or so, Natalie. Be careful and do _not_ drop your guard."

She nodded once more before letting out a long sigh. "Lisa, I'll be back soon. Just stick close to Kurama and we'll tell you what's going on when we get back."

The blonde nodded, obviously nervous and fearful about her friend taking this trip. Kurama had a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Natalie turned back to Hiei then, trying to put on a brave face, but she was pretty sure the hybrid could see straight through it. "Okay... let's just do this. The sooner we find out what's going on, the better."

Hiei nodded. "Hn. I'm opening the portal now." He removed his headband, and his Jagan immediately opened and flared brightly as he closed his eyes in concentration. A moment later, a portal opened before the two of them. His eyes opened once more and he looked at the woman at his side. "Let's go."

The girl took in a steadying breath and nodded. Then the two of them entered the portal together, and it closed behind them.

The blonde woman started to tremble slightly, seeing the portal vanish. Kurama squeezed her shoulder reassuringly and gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry, Lisa. She's with Hiei, and I know he won't let anything happen to her."

The girl took in a shaky breath and then nodded. "So... now what do we do?"

Genkai looked over now. "The only thing we can do. We wait."

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Once the portal had closed behind them, Natalie tried to fight off her nervousness as she took in their surroundings. The portal seemed to have dropped them off on the side of a mountain in a forested area. Looking at the surroundings, she figured most people would have thought it no different from Ningenkai, but Natalie knew better. She felt the energy in the air around her and it made her skin crawl. She let out a shiver.

Hiei looked at her. "Are you ready, onna?"

"Just give me a minute. The energy being given off here is messing with my senses. I have to focus myself so I can cut through the haze and sense any danger that might be nearby."

He nodded. "Do it."

She closed her eyes and quickly focused, trying to mentally cut through the static-like interference that the Makai was unleashing on her senses. After a few moments of focus, she opened her eyes. "Well, my senses aren't going to be as acute as I would like, but it's better than it was. In order to cut through the interference thoroughly, I would need a few hours of meditation, and we don't have the time for that, so we're going to have to deal."

He looked at her for a long moment and gave a half sigh, half scowl. "I didn't consider the effect the energy of Demon World would have on you, but I guess there's nothing we can do about it. As you said, we don't have the time for you to sit and take care of the issue thoroughly, so we'll just head out. Let's hope that any demons that sense you will be deterred by my presence."

She nodded and looked at him. "Okay, lead the way."

So, staying right at his side on the path, Natalie and Hiei made their way down the trail. After a half hour of walking, the trees thinned out and the terrain turned rockier. Then they rounded a bend and found the trail turned into a six foot wide ledge right on the edge of the mountain.

She glanced at her companion. "I thought you said we were taking the covered route. Won't we be right out in the open if we use this?"

"It should only take us about ten minutes to get past this part of the trail. It will widen at that point, and then lead back into the forest. I don't like it either, but this is the safest method of reaching Mukuro's Palace."

Natalie grimaced slightly and then stepped cautiously up to the edge. Taking a peek over, she saw a winding river with trees far, far below. She had a feeling in her gut that this wasn't the best idea in the world, but if Hiei said it was the safest method then there was little choice. Besides, they didn't have time to debate the issue."

"Well, I guess if we have to. Let's just get it over with."

Hiei in the lead, they continued on, stepping onto the ledge. Natalie was just relieved that it was relatively wide and not something that they had to cling to the rock face for dear life on.

They went at a reasonable pace and cleared the narrowest part in the time Hiei had said they would, much to the female's relief. The area was now much wider, the rocky ground turning into grass and trees further off to the left, while the cliff was just to their right. Straight ahead, the path was clear, heading down a hill and back into the forest about a half mile ahead.

Hiei and Natalie started on their way once more, when Natalie paused, stiffening a little. Hiei looked back at her questioningly.

Natalie willingly sent her thoughts to him. _Hiei, I hope it's just the weird static I've been feeling messing with my senses, but I'm pretty sure I feel something watching us from the forest..._

He frowned now, turning his attention to the trees himself. A few long seconds passed with no movement or sound and she was beginning to wonder if she was mistaken. Then she saw a small flash of light from the undergrowth and Hiei's hand went to his sword.

Then, all hell broke loose.

The flash came once more, far brighter and larger than the last one and Natalie had to shield her face to keep from being blinded. She heard a loud explosion, and suddenly found herself being flung back from the force of a blast. She thought she heard Hiei call her name and instinctively tried bracing her feet along the ground to stop her backward journey, only to realize that she no longer _had_ any ground to find purchase on.

Opening her eyes, she saw she had been flung well over twenty feet from the edge of the cliff and nothing but air was keeping her from the river and trees far down below. Seeing this and realizing the inertia from the blast had now worn off, the woman did the only thing she could.

She screamed in undisguised terror as she started to plummet.

Her arms and legs were flailing desperately, trying to find something, _anything_, to stop her descent, but it was no use. There was nothing. Oddly enough, the only thought that went through her head was, _Not even an hour in the Makai, and I'm about to become a permanent fixture here! I didn't even get to throw a fucking PUNCH!_

She screwed her eyes shut tightly, waiting to find herself standing before Koenma.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

When Hiei saw Natalie disappear over the edge of the cliff, he was momentarily frozen in shock. He knew Natalie had no way of saving herself and he had no way of saving her this time.

She was as good as dead.

This thought made something within the hybrid snap. He then became aware of the small horde of demons approaching him, and the first one to reach him was reduced to dozens of pieces before he could even blink. Hiei was almost in a berserker rage now, his eyes blazing red, his canines and claws extended as he howled and went for the next one. Once he had killed five of them in the span of a few short seconds, he caught sight of something diving down past the lip of the cliff, catching the barest glimpse of red hair and white fighter-pants.

This momentary distraction almost cost him his life as he looked up just in time to see one of the demons preparing to unleash an attack that would have put him in much the same situation as Natalie, but this attacking demon unexpectedly froze solid and smashed to the ground, breaking into pieces no larger than ice cubes.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

The last thing the freefalling witch expected was to actually have somebody _catch_ her. But that's exactly what happened. Someone grabbed her around her midsection, bringing her descent to a halt, before quickly switching her position and holding her bridal style in their arms.

Heart hammering like mad, and thanking every single God she could name, Natalie finally dared to open her eyes once more and found herself looking up at a man with shaggy red hair, pointed ears, and a single horn sticking out amongst his hair just an inch or two above his forehead.

Recognizing him instantly, the woman smiled in unrestrained relief and gratitude.

"Jin!"

The wind master's expression turned from concerned to surprised instantly. He blinked and then grinned. "Well, I'll be damned! Mukuro was right! Ya _do_ know me! But how? I'm sure I would've remembered meeting a lass as cute as you are..."

She unsuccessfully fought of a blush as she cleared her throat. "Um... that's really sweet of you to say, Jin, but... If I were you I wouldn't flirt when we get back up there... Hiei strikes me as being the jealous type."

His eyes went huge hearing this, and then his grin broadened. "Well, the day's just full of surprises! Ol' Hiei's nabbed himself a little lady, huh?"

Natalie hesitated. "Erm... well, sort of. I'll explain about how I know you guys later, but first... Do you think we can find some solid ground now?"

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Once Hiei had realized that Touya, Rinku and Chu were there, his rational side peeked to the surface long enough for him to realize that he could still feel Natalie's aura, right along with Jin's. He felt relief flood through him and just took a few more seconds to off a few more demons before turning to the new arrivals.

Touya looked around at the remains of the attacking demons. "Well, it looks like our timing is getting rusty. We barely made it here in time."

Hiei was about to speak when he turned seeing Jin fly up past the edge of the cliff, holding a shaken, but thankfully alive, Natalie in his arms. He approached them immediately, the other three newcomers following.

When Jin set the woman down, her legs nearly went out from under her, but her rescuer held her shoulders to keep her steady. She let out a shaky sigh of relief, finding solid ground beneath her feet once more.

"Natalie, are you all right?" Hiei asked, keeping his features neutral.

She nodded, and the bare trace of relief crossed his face.

He turned to Jin then. "What are you four doing here? I told Mukuro that her safety would be _my_ responsibility!"

Jin blinked while Touya snorted and crossed his arms. "Well, from the looks of it, you weren't doing a very good job before we got here..."

Hiei's eyes flashed dangerously as he turned to the Ice Master. "Say that again and see how far you get before I cut out your precious voice box..." he growled, his voice low and dangerous.

Jin quickly stepped forward then, having ensured Natalie's balance was regained. "Now, hold on there, Hiei. Ya have ta know that Mukuro makes her own decisions. We were ordered to come out here and help you escort the lass to the Palace. Ya can't be expectin' us ta say 'no' to Mukuro, can ya?"

Chu let out a belch and Natalie could smell the liquor on his breath from where she stood. "Yea. Travellin' with a human down here's a good way ta get yerself ambushed, 'specially when it's such a beautiful li'l Sheila..."

Seeing Hiei's hands start balling into fists, Natalie quickly stepped forward, trying not to look _too_ annoyed with his attitude about the situation. "Hiei, considering the fact that I'd be _dead_ now if they hadn't come, would it kill you to just let it go? They're here now by order of Mukuro, so why don't we just get going before something else happens?"

While he still looked far from impressed with the situation, he simply 'hn'd', crossing his arms. Natalie took that to mean that he didn't like the arrangement, but that he would have to live with it. Then he simply turned and started off down the path once more, Natalie quickly moving to follow. Jin took to the air, and the final three fell in step behind the human girl.

She blinked when she felt a tug on her shirt and saw Rinku looking up at her with a curious expression on his face. "Hey, is it true that you know about us?"

Natalie couldn't help it as she gave him a smile. She'd always found Rinku to be adorable. "Yes, I do. And I have a feeling you guys want to know how, right?"

Touya looked at her with his cool expression. "Well, we _have_ been dying of curiosity ever since Mukuro sent us on this mission. Both she and Yomi have been discussing something of importance behind closed doors as well, and we're wondering if you might know anything about it."

Natalie and Hiei both stopped in their tracks, the hybrid whirling in shock while the woman's eyes bugged out of her skull.

"_Yomi is with Mukuro?"_ they said as one, having not expected this.

Jin flew up to them now and blinked. "Why so surprised? I thought you knew they've been on speakin' terms for a few years now."

The young witch hesitated. "Well, I didn't know that, but that's not what's worrying me..." She and Hiei exchanged a look, the woman looking as if she wasn't sure if they should get into their concerns.

The hybrid turned to them and crossed his arms. "A few days ago a group of demons tried kidnapping Natalie's best friend... a human with no special abilities and no history in our dimension. The only thing that we can think of that would have made her a target is because Kurama has developed an interest of his own in her."

Dawning realization crossed the Wind Master's face now. "Ahhh! An' you think Yomi was the one responsible for the attempted capture of her?"

Natalie frowned. "Well, it's the only thing we've come up with so far that makes any sense. Demons aren't exactly known for having an interest in capturing normal humans for no reason."

Touya regarded her. "I'm not sure about the details of what happened to your friend, but I can tell you with a great deal of certainty that Yomi was _not_ the one responsible. While I'm sure he's probably aware of what's going on himself, he has little interest in who Kurama associates with in the Human World anymore, beyond his idle curiosity. And I doubt he would arrange for his operatives to try capturing a human knowing that she was closely associated with the Spirit Detectives. That would be tantamount to sending people on a suicide mission and would serve no purpose."

The duo exchanged another look. "Well," Natalie started. "If it wasn't Yomi who did it... then who _was_ the one responsible?"

He seemed to think hard for a moment before that scowl came to his face once more. "I don't know. But we won't find out standing here. While I'm liking this situation less and less, we have no choice but to keep going."

Chu put a hand on her shoulder then. "Yea, an' you can explain how ya know us on the way. It'll take us a few hours ta get there, so it'll be a way ta pass the time, it will..."

Natalie sighed as she fell back into step behind Hiei. Being in a group of demons this large, especially considering their power levels, she wasn't overly concerned about a second attack.

"Well, I'm assuming you guys know what a television is, right?"

When she saw them nod as one curiously, she smiled. "Good. And, knowing his hearing, I'm guessing Yomi's going to hear this too, so it'll be one less explanation for me once we get there..." So, once again, Natalie explained exactly how it was that she and her best friend had come across their knowledge of them, and how they had gotten stuck in their dimension in the first place.

The entire telling took over two hours. When she was finally done with her explanation, Jin shook his head, a wide grin on his face.

"Well, now that be a story for the record books! I thought I'd heard _everything_ until now!"

Before Natalie could say anything, Hiei stopped in his tracks, his hand going to his sword. "Someone's coming," he said, his eyes directly on the trail ahead.

Everyone stopped and looked where the hybrid was for a long moment, when a demon that appeared human except for strange triangular ears and facial markings, rounded the bend and stopped upon seeing them.

He took them all in, until his eyes landed on Natalie. Then he grinned broadly.

"Hey, guys! Luck is with you today! I'll give you 500 pieces of gold for the little lady there!"

She felt her eyebrow twitch. "Excuse me?"

Hiei's sword was out of its sheath. "The onna is not a slave, and therefore, not for sale."

The newcomer blinked, and then grinned. "No need to be coy with me. I'll go up to 700 gold, but no more than that!"

A low growl issued forth from the Forbidden Child now.

Natalie, less than impressed with this guy herself, put a hand on Hiei's shoulder. "Please. Allow me."

All of them blinked in surprise hearing this. Hiei looked from the newcomer to Natalie, and then smirked, gesturing toward the new demon.

The girl put a sweet smile on her face as she approached the newcomer, putting a slight sashay to her walk. The man in question blinked and then started to smile, not noticing the knowing smirk on Hiei's face.

Jin hesitated. "Um... Hiei, are you sure this is...?"

"Hn. Don't worry. She'll be fine."

Natalie stopped directly in front of the demon and after a pause that lasted a few heartbeats, the woman's left fist slammed into the offending man's gut, immediately making him bowl over in pain. Before he could react at all, the girl delivered a devastating kick which sent him flying back, slamming him into the side of a tree.

Natalie allowed her aura to flicker over the surface of her skin as she approached the demon again, her smile now gone. She grabbed him by the front of his outfit and slammed him against the tree once more.

"You wanted to fucking _buy_ me? You think that just because I have a set of tits that I should be stripped of my rights and forced into _slavery?_ And 700 gold? Really? For a living, breathing, intelligent creature with thoughts and feelings, you would put a _price_ on them? If you want to fuck something so desperately, then go to a novelty sex shop in human world and get yourself a blow up doll! Or even find a demon girl who's willing and able, because I'm sure there're some of those around too! Just leave me, and any other females _out_ of your fucking business deals!"

"Um... sorry?" he said feebly, realizing he was in hot water.

The woman scowled at him and simply delivered a bone-crushing punch across his face, effectively knocking him out cold, before dropping him unceremoniously on the ground at the base of the tree. Her scowl still in place, she made her way back to the others.

"Let's just go before I change my mind and kill the asshole."

"Hn." _She's still too soft, but I suppose I can't expect her to become a merciless killer overnight._

The six of them continued on down the path, Natalie taking up her position directly behind Hiei once more. Jin was now walking on the ground behind her, side by side with Touya.

"No wonder Hiei's interested in her," she heard him say quietly.

She didn't see Touya nod in agreement. "Yeah. Between her looks, attitude, and fighting ability, it's not hard to understand why."

The woman fought off a blush hearing this, but wisely said nothing. Then she blinked, looking past Hiei and noticing that the path seemed to open up again ahead of them. When they cleared the trees, she saw she was on top of a hill, a city with a palace only about a half mile away.

Hiei turned to them. "When we get to the city, we should keep Natalie encircled to keep the scum at bay. We don't need a fight in a populated area."

The others all nodded, while Natalie tried not to feel insulted, reminding herself that these were other _demons_ they were protecting her from, and not mere humans. Looking at the group of them again, she figured someone'd have to be pretty dumb to try something.

Making their way through the city now, the woman understood why Hiei had felt the need for the added precaution. She could see other demons leering at her from the streets, and could hear low mutterings. Something told her she didn't want to know what they were saying. Just the open looks being given to her was enough to make her skin crawl.

They approached the gate to the palace and the two guards first raised their weapons, and then blinked, recognizing Hiei. Their weapons were down by their sides once more as they gave him nods of respect.

"Hiei-sama, welcome home. Mukuro-sama is expecting you and your companion."

The hybrid simply nodded to them, and they opened the gate.

The atmosphere within the walls of the palace was far less tense than it had been within the city. Natalie felt some measure of relief being away from all the eyes of the residents of the city. Walking through the palace now, the staff seemed to give her little more than a cursory glance before continuing on with their duties.

Something occurred to Natalie and she sent a glance over to Hiei. Rather than voicing her concerns aloud, she simply sent her thoughts to him once more.

_Um... is there anything I should know before I meet Mukuro? Things such as proper manners when I meet her or anything?_

He glanced at her. Then she heard his own voice in her mind as he projected his thoughts to her. _Not really. As long as you're not disrespectful toward her, you should be all right. I'm more concerned about Yomi, to be honest with you. I knew they had been speaking for a while now, but I'm concerned over the fact Mukuro didn't inform me that he was going to be here as well._

_Yeah, I know what you mean. Something about this situation is sending off red flags, and I don't think Mukuro wants to meet me JUST so she can meet me..._

Hiei almost snorted. _I knew that from the moment she told me she wanted you down here. Mukuro doesn't make a habit of meeting people just to say 'hello.' She usually has a deeper reason behind wanting the meeting to take place. We're almost at the throne room now, though, so I guess we'll learn what's going on soon enough._

Natalie said nothing to this, and tried to fight off the knot she felt forming in her stomach with little success.

They approached a large set of doors, and Hiei simply opened them and walked in without a word or a single knock. Following him inside, she immediately saw both leaders standing at the head of the room. Taking a quick glance around the room, she found it was mostly bare, and one of the walls appeared to be made of glass and overlooked a large empty room. Aside from the large glass wall, the other walls were bare except for doors leading to other areas of the palace, and a chair reserved for Mukuro to sit in.

The two Super S-class demons turned as they entered, Mukuro giving them a greeting smile.

Once they were standing before the two of them, the former slave nodded to them both. "It's good to see that you made it here alive. I understand that you had some difficulties in your journey. I had anticipated such, which is why I took it upon myself to send additional escorts to aid you." Then the woman's eyes fell on the one human in the room. "So... this is the woman I have been hearing so much about. Your name is Natalie, is it not?"

The girl blinked and then nodded. "Yes. It is an honour to meet you both, Mukuro-sama and Yomi-sama." She gave them both a small bow of respect.

"Welcome to the Makai, and to my home. I understand that both yourself and Hiei were surprised to learn that Yomi was going to be here as well. He has been here for the past several days, actually. There are many whispers and rumours going around throughout the Demon World which concern us, and the two of us decided it would be for the best to speak about these issues, which is why he is here."

The blind demon nodded himself now as he turned his head in Natalie's direction. "I can assure you, I had no role in the attempted capture of your friend. I had promised Kurama to not interfere in his Ningenkai life, and I have no intentions of going back on that. Also, as Touya already pointed out to you, sending any operatives to capture someone close to Kurama would be the same as sending them to their deaths, and therefore would be pointless."

She nodded slowly. "Okay, so that trumps our one theory on who could be responsible."

Hiei frowned. "Yes, but it still leaves us with the question of who _did_ order the attempted kidnapping."

Mukuro nodded. "I agree, that matter does need to be answered. But first..." She approached Natalie and gently led her to the large glass wall, indicating the room within. "Do you know what this is, Natalie?"

She shook her head now. "No, I was actually wondering that when I first walked in the room."

She smiled knowingly now. "It is a fighting arena. Some days, my underlings will spar with one another, and I enjoy watching them as they progress with their training, which is why my throne room is located here."

Natalie blinked slowly. "Okay. Um, forgive me, Mukuro-sama, but... what does this have to do with why you asked me to come here?"

The other woman's expression turned a little apologetic. "There are a few reasons why I asked to meet you. I promise you, I will explain everything in just a short while, but I'm afraid I have to conduct a test first. I apologize in advance for this."

Warning bells starting wailing incessantly in the woman's mind now. She was about to ask why Mukuro was _apologizing_ when she had yet to do anything wrong, but the words died in her throat when she heard a barely discernable click beneath her feet, and a trap door she was standing on fell beneath her. She only managed to let out a cry of alarm and heard Hiei call her name before finding herself sliding down a dark chute.

Natalie felt full blown fear trying to shove its way to the surface, not sure what was going on. It was hard _not_ to be scared, considering that Hiei was not with her at the moment and she had no way of knowing what was going to happen next. Suddenly, she saw a light approaching at the end of the slide, and exited seconds later, dropping a few feet to the dirt ground inside the arena.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Seeing Natalie fall through the trap door, Hiei raced forward immediately. _"Natalie!"_

The door closed itself once more before the hybrid could jump in after her. He immediately whirled on Mukuro. "What is the meaning of this, Mukuro?" he ground out. "You promised me she would not be harmed!"

Mukuro shook her head. "She will not be killed, Hiei. That is a promise. But if Natalie cannot prove herself capable of facing the upcoming threat, then there is little point in warning her about it."

Hiei's teeth ground together. "You promised me she would not be _harmed_, not simply _killed!_"

The female ruler smiled now. "I have healers on standby, and her opponent is merely going to be an upper C-class demon."

"Natalie's not accustomed to fighting against demons! She still holds to the human morality valuing life, and has only killed _once!_ She did not even kill the slaver who wished to have her on the way here! She simply knocked him unconscious!"

"She will have to harden herself to such things very quickly, Hiei. I can guarantee you, she will be involved in many battles soon, and she will need to be merciless in order to survive them. You and the others cannot protect her forever."

Hiei was about to speak up again, but Yomi spoke instead, cutting him off. "Shura is going to be watching the battle as well. If the human proves herself incapable of defeating this opponent, he will step in and save her. There is no need for you to worry."

The hybrid was almost beside himself with rage at Mukuro's deception. But it was too late, and now he could do nothing but watch. He knew he was unable to help Natalie himself right now, and so she had to face this battle alone.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Natalie looked around herself warily, her heart hammering inside her chest. She was alone... in an arena... in the Demon World. Casting a glance back at the hole she had fallen out of, she knew there was no way she could hope to climb back up the way she had come. The trap door was probably shut again, anyway. She was stuck here.

Then she suddenly heard a voice over the speaker system, making her jump slightly. She recognized it as being Mukuro.

"I truly am sorry for the deception on my part, Natalie. Your opponent is a prisoner of ours. We have garnered much information from him, but unfortunately, the torture we implemented has now driven him quite insane. Be warned: He will kill you without a second thought, and hesitation on your part could easily cost you your life. Once the battle is over, should you survive, we will continue our talk. Good luck."

Natalie's eyes were saucers now. "Oh, shit... someone tell me this isn't happening..."

Out of the shadows of a doorway to the far side of the arena, emerged a demon who was about eight feet in height, with a large, muscular frame. A large portion of his body was covered in armour, but the visible skin was covered in scars, evidence of the torture he had endured at the hands of his captors. He carried with him a large wooden club.

Panic momentarily set in as she realized Mukuro had pretty much dropped her in here to fight a battle to the death. "W-wait a minute, Mukuro-sama! Can't we talk about this for a minute?"

Her opponent's eyes landed on her then, going wide. Then, without saying a word, he let out a howl and charged forward, raising his club.

Surprised at how fast a being of his size could move, Natalie barely had time to dodge the attack, and the ensuing shockwave from the impact on the arena floor made her lose her footing. She quickly did a handspring to dodge a second strike and proceeded to do a series of flips across the arena to put some distance between her and this demon. Seeing the impact from the club had left a crater behind, Natalie knew she was in trouble.

She growled. "Damnit! I have no choice but to fight!" She quickly summoned her Spirit Boa and readied herself for his next strike, going into a low crouch.

He charged her again, his eyes protruding wildly. She dodged at the last minute, getting close, and attacked his torso with her boa before launching herself off the back of his shoulders, twisting herself in midair, and landing to face her opponent once more.

Her eyes went wide when she saw that her spirit weapon hadn't even made a dent in his armour.

She didn't have much time to assimilate this information, however, before he was almost upon her again. Natalie quickly dodged out of the way, thankful that his movements were at least easy to read, as he was doing nothing but attacking blindly. Coming up with a different strategy that might at least even the odds for her, she charged him, reinforcing her body strength with her spirit energy. She remembered how she had sliced through that tree earlier in the week, and hoped to do the same to his weapon, seeing as how it was wooden.

This time she met his attack head on, bracing herself against the impact of the club against her boa. The initial impact almost flattened her, but she braced her legs against the force of the blow. She held it off for a few long seconds before her spirit boa actually seemed to _bend_ before shattering. Natalie was only barely able to avoid the weapon and actually felt as it brushed against her arm before crashing into the ground. The shockwave struck again, this time stunning her. She quickly rolled to her feet, trying to get the stars out of her eyes before an excruciating pain exploded in her midsection as her opponent got in a hit and sent her flying across the arena. She slammed into the wall and fell to her hands and knees, coughing up blood in the process.

_Won't be harmed my fucking ass! What the fuck gave Mukuro the right to put me into this kind of position, anyway? What gives her the right to TEST me?_

Looking up, she saw the demon approaching her again, and Natalie knew she had would have to get creative and take some pretty significant risks if she was going to beat this guy.

For the first time, she felt her anger toward the situation and fed upon it, getting to her feet and gathering her energy once more. She had to end this _now._

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Hiei scowled, watching the fight take place down below. Natalie's sense of morality was causing her to try non-critical attacks first, something that was sure to get her killed, Shura or no Shura, if she didn't snap out of it soon. He tried communicating with her telepathically, only to find that Mukuro had placed a psychic shield within the room, preventing him from talking sense into the girl.

He was a little surprised to find himself starting to tremble slightly, knowing that he could do nothing to help her himself. He watched as she took the hit and was sent flying. Even through the glass, all of them could smell the human's blood.

Jin frowned from where he watched. "From the way it's goin' so far, she won't win this."

Mukuro shook her head. "She is most definitely capable of winning this. I would not have placed her in this position if I believed otherwise. She simply has to throw her merciful side out and fight him for real."

They watched as she slowly made her way back to her feet, and blinked when a red aura appeared over the surface of her skin. Seeing her rise to her feet, her opponent charged at her once more. This time, she made no moves to avoid his charge and simply stood there, her head bowed.

Rinku's eyes went wide. "What's she doing? Isn't she going to _move?_"

Then Hiei blinked and started slightly when he saw a glowing circle with intricate symbols swirling within it extend out around her at her feet. He immediately understood what it was she was doing.

"She's desperate if she's trying this..."

Before anyone could ask Hiei what it was that Natalie was doing, the demon reached her location and swung his club once more. The club hit a barrier created by the circle. The woman made some quick motions with her hands before they effortlessly went through the barrier and she held them against the demons armour plated chest.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

Natalie's body was beginning to strain with the effort to keep the barrier in place and she knew she would only have one shot at this. If she failed here, then she wouldn't have the energy left to launch another attack. Her hands were now in place, and her opponent didn't seem to notice at all, still trying to force his club through her shield. Making sure the energy had been shaped as she wished, she looked into the eyes of the demon, seeing nothing but intense rage and insanity burning within them.

"I'm sorry to have to do this," she said to him, even knowing her words probably wouldn't register.

She unleashed the energy, which took the form of a powerful electrical current, which enveloped his form. He immediately screamed in agony as she kept the current flowing, trying to increase the potency of the energy to bring about his end quicker. His body was seized and paralyzed by the flow of energy coursing through him, until finally the screaming stopped and she pulled back the power.

Not having the energy to properly dodge when she saw him now collapsing toward her, she simply threw herself to the left and let herself hit the ground, narrowly avoiding being crushed by his bulk. She felt her body scream with the impact, and her world was spinning due to the excessive use of her energy, and the fact she had used her own rage to power a spell.

She tried to make her way to her knees, when the world did a 180 on her and she almost collapsed again. This time a set of hands stopped her from kissing the ground. Looking up a little blearily, she blinked when she saw what looked like a young version of Yomi keeping her upright.

"Shura..."

He looked a little annoyed with being there, but sighed. "C'mon. I'll help you up." He put her arm around his shoulders and supported her weight as she stood.

In that moment, one of the panels on the wall opened up and the others joined them.

Mukuro gave her a smile. "Well done. You had us worried there for a few moments."

Trying not to wince with each movement she made, she fought the urge to glare at the female leader. "Forgive me, Mukuro-sama, but was there an actual _point_ to that fight?" she asked, striving for an even tone of voice, but finding it difficult to hide that she was angry at her deception.

Hiei came forward, looking a little less than impressed himself. He took over supporting Natalie for Shura, who seemed relieved to no longer have to do the chore himself as he went to stand at his father's side. Another demon entered the room, this one having been summoned by Mukuro after the outcome of the fight had been determined. It was a female with dark pink hair, bluish skin, and pointed ears, wearing a medical outfit.

"Ah, Yaoni. Please, heal our guest."

"Yes, Mukuro-sama," she said with a smile, approaching the injured woman. As she formed a healing ball of energy in her hand and started focusing on the injury, Mukuro started speaking once more.

"The fight held two purposes, Natalie. The first was to force you to understand that when facing demons, mercy is a luxury one simply cannot afford. I understand that you did not enjoy killing your adversary, but it was necessary as he would have killed you, given the opportunity. The second purpose was to determine if you had the capability of surviving the battles that are now ahead of you. I am pleased to say, that you _did_ pass the test, and you have demonstrated a form of ingenuity with that final move that has actually left me impressed."

Feeling the throbbing pains in her gut slowly fade with the administrations of the healer, Natalie shook her head in confusion. "Coming battles? _What_ coming battles?"

She nodded. "As soon as Yaoni has ensured you are well again, we will go somewhere where you can sit while we talk. You have drained a significant portion of your spirit energy and need to take it easy now."

The healer completed her task quickly, and the group of them left the arena and journeyed through the halls of the palace until they entered a room with a few comfortable looking chairs and couches. Hiei still supported Natalie, knowing her lack of energy would cause her problems trying to get around. He made sure she was seated comfortably on one of the couches before seating himself beside her.

He then looked at Mukuro. "I think we've been kept waiting long enough, Mukuro. What is the _real_ meaning behind all of this?"

She nodded and seemed to think to gather her thoughts before turning her attention to Natalie. "You may be surprised to learn, that you and your friend have actually garnered much attention down here in the Demon World. Especially amongst the Dimensionalists. Have you ever heard of them before?"

A little stunned to learn that herself and Lisa were known among the general populace of the Makai, Natalie shook her head. "I don't recall hearing about them, no..."

The scarred woman smiled. "I'm not surprised. There are very few of them, and for the most part, they lay low. They have the ability to open random dimensional portals to other realms, which is used primarily as a defence against their enemies. However, they do not have the ability to pick and choose what sort of a dimension their portals will link to. In order to do such a thing, they would require a specific form of energy that is inherent to a particular realm... Universal Energy. Of course, this has been impossible for them to obtain, as there has been no source of a different Universal Energy other than our own in our realm... until now. The energy is contained within your own life force, and the life force of every being that resides within its particular realm. Once word of your arrival reached Demon World, it spread like wildfire amongst the populace, and finally reached the ears of the Dimensionalists. As you are no doubt aware, many demons are not content with our own world, and wish to journey elsewhere to expand our territory. This has caused a new group to form in the shadows of the Makai... a group that is determined to seize the opportunity to leave this world behind... and to journey into your own."

Natalie listened to this, and felt all the blood drain from her face when she realized where this was going. "You said... that the universal energy is in our life force... Does that mean...?"

Yomi nodded now. "In order for them to obtain the energy, they would have to drain your life force from your body and separate the universal energy so they would be able to hone in on its place of origin. They would need to kill you."

Natalie's brain went into a state of shock momentarily as her thoughts started to spin. She tried to shake it off, barely even noticing as Hiei placed a calming hand on her shoulder. "B-but... I mean... How many demons are in this group?"

Mukuro sighed. "Hundreds. Perhaps even _thousands._ There is no way to know for sure. But they are mobilizing and attempting to organize themselves in an effort to retrieve either yourself or your friend. They don't care which." She paused. "I know that you are important to Hiei... his reaction to your sudden trip to the arena made that very obvious... and Hiei is important to _me._ Yomi and I are of the same opinion in this matter... your realm already has its inhabitants, and should be left alone. For our kind to journey into the human world of _this_ realm is one thing, but to invade a realm for the purpose of killing and enslaving its inhabitants and making it their own... I cannot and will not abide by that. That is why I had you come here. To give you fair warning. It will take some time before they are able to properly mobilize their forces and make a concerted effort to obtain one of you. The attempt spoken of earlier was carried out by a group of the more impatient followers. Their effort was poorly planned, and did not have the approval of the primary group."

Yomi nodded. "By giving you this warning now, it will give you and your friends a chance to prepare for the efforts that will be made soon enough."

"That is why I had to drive the point home about your issues of showing mercy to your opponents. If you care for the well being of your world, you cannot afford to cling to those moral convictions. If you do so, your world, and all the people who inhabit it, will fall."

Natalie turned inward once more. It had been _her_ idea to come here in the first place. It had been _her_ technique that had gotten them here. If those demons got a hold of herself or Lisa, if they opened a portal to their world... then it was all _her_ fault.

The full implications of the situation sent the young woman into a state of complete shock and horror. Images of her family, of her old home, of the world she had grown in and the people that she loved... they might all be destroyed soon because of _her_ actions.

She only barely snapped out of her shock due to Hiei giving her a shake and saying her name. Her head jerked up and she saw his red eyes lock with her own, concern reflected within them.

Her mouth opened and closed, but she couldn't bring herself to speak, and wasn't even sure what she _could_ say after learning this. She moaned and buried her face in her hands.

Hiei frowned and got to his feet. He looked at Mukuro. "Natalie has had a long day and needs her rest, Mukuro. I'll bring her to my room and we will leave for Ningenkai the second the sun rises. We have to let the others know what we learned."

She nodded. "Of course. I offer you the services of my elite team once again, not only to escort you back, but to help in the coming battle. I trust that this time, you will accept my offer?"

Hiei gave her a single nod before gently pulling a shocked Natalie to her feet, and leading her out of the room.

**0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0**

**The next chapter will have an M rating, just to let you all know. I'm not sure when it will be up, but hopefully within a week. In the meantime, review and let me know what you think!**

**It's good to be back!**


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